Commentary Par XXX 11

See Contini (Cont.1968.1), p. 1018, for recognition of the self-citation here.  The line contains a fairly obvious revisitation, in the phrase 'al punto che mi vinse' (around the point that overcame me), of Francesca's description of the punto in the Lancelot romance that aroused her and Paolo ([Inf V 132]): 'ma solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse' (still, it was a single instant overcame us [italics added]).  It is perhaps only the oppositional nature of this punto, not a 'point' in a text describing sexual arousal, but God, the Point of the universe, that had kept the close resemblance in phrasing apparently unobserved for so many centuries.  For other notice, see Hollander (Holl.1983.1), pp. 139-40, Dronke (Dron.1989.1), p. 32 (both without reference to any precursor) and De Robertis (Dero.1990.1), p. 141 (citing Contini).  And see Hollander (Holl.1993.5), pp. 7-8, acknowledging Contini, if belatedly.  See also Stierle (Stie.2002.2), pp. 407-8, who mentions no precursor.  And see C.Paradiso.XXIX.9.  There is a glancing discussion of the two passages by Bologna (Bolo.2002.1), pp. 465-66, without reference to any precedent discussion of their relation.

For the slow emergence of the word punto (some fifty occurrences in all) as referring to God only as early as in [Par XVII 17], and then its 'explosion' with that meaning in Paradiso XXVIII and XXIX (six uses), and then, finally, here, see Hollander (Holl.1993.5), p. 7 (n. 18).