The author intends to renew the critical approach to the Vita Nova by drawing attention to questions which either are still open or have never been faced, beginning with the problem of defining its context and defining its genre, and hence Dante's choice of style. Having demonstrated the strong influence of Boethius' Consolatio Philosophiae, Carrai concludes that the Vita Nova should be looked upon as a text largely in the elegiac style. His inquiries also include Dante's choice of various meters, his narrative technique, and some thoughts on the origins of the Vita Nova.