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Loading... The Infernoby Dante Alighieri
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Can I pick out a favorite canto? How about canto 14, the division of the blasphemers in circle 7. Some surprises here even as the reader has been growing accustomed to Dante's blending of Classical culture and Christianity. Capaneus, one of the seven mythological heroes who attacked the city of Thebes in support of Polynices, son of Oedipus, as told by Aeschylus in [b:The Seven Against Thebes|752713|The Seven Against Thebes (Dover Thrift Editions)|Aeschylus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328866074l/752713._SY75_.jpg|2474147] and Statius in [b:The Thebaid: Seven Against Thebes|677893|The Thebaid Seven Against Thebes|Publius Papinius Statius|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348522460l/677893._SY75_.jpg|663891], is here for his blasphemy against Jupiter/Zeus. Dante thus treats blasphemy against a pagan god in mythology as equal to blasphemy against his Christian God! One might think that theologically you can't end up in the Christian Hell for defying a pagan god, but here you can, as Dante incorporates the Classical period into his Christian universe that takes in all of human history. The idea that Hell is really a hell of one's own making is presented here as well. Capaneus continues to lash out at Jupiter: "let him hurl his bolts at me, no joy of satisfaction would I give him!" He is still the same person, unchanged, as he was in life, which is a condition of the shades in Hell: they will not ever change, their pride will never allow them to repent. Virgil speaks back to him that "no torment other than your rage itself could punish your gnawing pride more perfectly." This psychologically astute envisioning of Hell is not one I was expecting to encounter; I had been underestimating Dante. In the second half of the canto we get a fascinatingly allegorical and resonant description of the Man of Crete. This is a colossus representing humankind that lies underneath Mt. Ida and whose tears, representing humanity's tears, are the source of Hell's rivers. Dante takes the idea of such a figure from the Book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and combines it with Ovid's description of the fall of man from the Golden Age down through silver and bronze and finally to the Iron Age that he presents in [b:Metamorphoses|1715|Metamorphoses|Ovid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622739150l/1715._SY75_.jpg|2870411]; the colossus is fashioned of gold at the head, silver at the chest, brass to his legs, and then iron - except for a right foot made of terra cotta that he places more weight on, which represents the modern Roman Church. Only the gold portion is unbroken, as the tears carve a fissure down the rest of him. The idea of Hell's rivers being fed by human tears symbolically falling down a figure representing the fall and decay of man is a powerful poetic image. Also very interesting in that it shows how people in every age and every generation think that theirs is a uniquely bad time in history, going all the way back to Ovid! This is nothing new at all; likely in a thousand years people will think that their time is a uniquely bad time, as humanity continues on its way. And then on a lighter note, we have the pilgrim, perhaps unconsciously, getting a little jab in at Virgil, who could not get them past the gates of the infernal city of Dis separating Upper from Lower Hell that was guarded by devils - Virgil can handle Classical monsters, but Christian devils are beyond his powers and they had to wait on an angel from Heaven to continue their journey. Here Dante most unnecessarily reminds Virgil of his past failure in introducing a question about their current position: "My master, you who overcome all opposition (except for those tough demons who came to meet us at the gate of Dis), who is that mighty one that seems unbothered...". Petty! ------- Finally found a translation, Mark Musa’s, that I really get on with. Also watched and read the lectures and notes from Columbia University’s course on the Commedia alongside reading each canto, which are available for free at digitaldante.columbia.edu, an amazing gift. I would have understood a mere fraction of the context, richness, and literary techniques of this work without those. I am prone to hesitation in reviewing a classic so low. I realize I am in the minority and I don't want to tick people off. I also freely admit my struggles with some of these classics is solely in my naivety and lack of deeper understanding. That being said -- this was a chore to read. I had an audible version and a print version, neither read the same. It likely helped to "follow along" as I listened, deciphering the print from the audible. Yet still so tough. I understand the deep religious tone in the book, I still find it uncomfortable. This idea of hell is disturbing and so ... mainstream religious. On the other hand, what an amazing and ornate and detailed description of Hell. Quite impressive. I also wish I knew more about the many, many people mentioned in the poem. So many times I just skimmed over who they were and sometimes what they did to get to Hell. I wanted to get it. If I understand the times and atmosphere of the life of Dante, this was a brave work. I admire that. I do not admire, however, where he put Muslims or Jews and those who were born prior to Christ. Doesn't sit well with me. Is contained inThe Divine Comedy and The New Life by Dante Alighieri (indirect) The Portable Dante by Dante Alighieri (indirect) The Harvard Classics [50 Volume Set] by Charles William Eliot (indirect) The Inferno by Dante Aligieri (indirect) ContainsIs retold inHas the adaptationIs parodied inInspiredHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideAwardsNotable Lists
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (24)Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Poetry.
HTML: 'Abandon all hope you who enter here' (Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate) Danteâ??s Hell is one of the most remarkable visions in Western literature. An allegory for his and future ages, it is, at the same time, an account of terrifying realism. Passing under a lintel emblazoned with these frightening words, the poet is led down into the depths by Virgil and shown those doomed to suffer eternal torment for vices exhibited and sins committed on earth. Inferno is the first part of the long journey which continues through redemption to revelation â?? through Purgatory and Paradise â?? and, in this translation prepared especially for Audiobook, his images are as vivid as when the poem was first written in the early years of the fourteenth century. Featuring music of the pe No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)851.1Literature Italian and related languages Italian poetry Early Italian; Age of Dante –1375LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Still, as I passed being 20% of the way through the book it became more meaningful to me. I also thought about the reaction of offended contemporaries; what kind of person was Dante to write with such chance of causing enemies? I began to notice that nearly all of the people mentioned seemed to be Italian. What reaction was there to the book? ( )