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Summary: A Christian odyssey
Review: "The Divine Comedy" is one of the most monumental masterpieces in European literature and a pioneering work of its kind. One can detect in it a break from medieval trends and the manifestation of the "modern" Renaissance spirit, in its new classicism (as in the appearance of Virgil as a guide) and its sublimity and grandeur. Though often plodding and diffuse, it is a sprawling epic, unconventional and bold, characterised by arcane erudition, allusion and symbolic richness. However, it contains many elements that one would associate with comedy, such as wit, invective and lampoon. It is also written in vulgar Tuscan and not Latin, the language of the ecclesiastics and pedants of the universities. As such, it is supposed to achieve by its language a suitably low and humble effect. The circular topography of hell, where the flatterers, the gluttons, the schismatics, the lechers endure a variety of torments, provides many instances of mirthful satire. The details are direful and sometimes scatalogical: " Even the cask with the bottom knocked out/Does not gape in the way that I saw one/Ripped open from chin to where he farts."(Inferno, XXVIII, 22-4) and "The marsh, which sends out so much stinking breath/Surrounds on every side the weeping city" (Inferno, IX, 31-2) Being written against a backdrop of political rivalry, disunion and corruption, Dante, himself a major political actor at the time, took as many liberties as possible in censuring and ridiculing the vices of notable figures. (One can compare the results of "The Divine Comedy" being transferred to contemporary times wherein the likes of Tony Blair, Bill Gates and Bill Clinton are consigned to languish in hell.) Above all, it is a didactic work of a sinful and imperfect man's (Dante) spiritual odyssey and his redemption, exhorting his hearers to virtue and justice and condemning the vice and corruption to which medieval Europe had sunk. It can be called a comedy in the sense that it begins ominously, with Dante lost in the dark forest of sin (Inferno, I) his baneful encounters in hell and purgatory, and ends happily and gloriously with his salvation and union with Beatrice and God, the happy ending being a prerequisite for comedy.
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Summary: Tragedy in Comedy
Review: As a reader of Italian and English, I must say how one can never really appreciate the sheer density of Dante's poetry unless read in the original. The concise, emotionaly packed narrative is enough to astound the most high-brow intellectual.My advice learn Italian then read Dante. It's worth it.
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Summary: A bit difficult at the start, but it grows on you
Review: Besides the philosophical and religious depth of this book, and the great risk Dante must have had in writing it 700 years ago, it was interesting to see how Dante put so many characters (both real and imaginary) into this book. He obviously was an extremely intelligent person and his views on purgatory, inferno and paradise were captivating.
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Summary: Best book ever written
Review: Best book ever written in human history. Period.
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Summary: A Fresh Translation
Review: Ciardi's translation is one of my favorites: few others so capture the essence of Dante. Others have noted Ciardi's abandonment of the strict tezra form that so constrains English translation (A language lacking the feminimity of Italian, and unable to easily conform to such a complicated rhyming pattern). This, in itself, liberates the work -- so long as we keep in mind the importance of the form, we can well do without it in order to catch a closer and more literal idea of Dante's work. Another thing Ciardi does well is revealing Dante, "King of the Disgusting." The tendency in a language closely associated with Protestant culture is to purify the "naughtiness" of Catholic works. Ciardi makes a point to use four-letter words and to use the most vulgar and obscene language and imagery where the work calls for it (Ciardi shrewdly observes the differences between cursing for Protestants and for Catholics -- the former finding bodily and worldly things obscene, the latter finding only blasphemy to be obscene). Another reviewer noted the overuse of "thees and thous" -- they must have read a different translation. These are reserved only for the most important figures in the book, when Dante clearly wanted to show respect. A solid translation. Highly recommended.
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Summary: A classic among afterlife enthusiasts
Review: Considered by most as a classic among classics, this book has changed many and created many people's opinions and beliefs about the afterlife experience. A little hard to read at times, due to the archaic grammar, but invaluable to the student of religion.
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Summary: The need for Quality Assurance ???
Review: Dante stands alongside Shakespeare, Milton, & T.S Eliot et al. as one of the most profound minds and thinkers of our shared culture and history. Whilst the recording does not capture the tone and poetic sensibilities of Dante, It is tragic to say the least that anyone can publish a review - in particular those who can not even read (See Annie Feng's review). I think there is a need for some form of Quality Assurance to ensure that those who can appreciate art (regardless of their religious or philosophical stance) can read reviews that are of a genuine critical nature that understand something of the historical and literary context of a particular work rather than just bigoted condemnations !!! A good way of doing this would be to note the number of people who find a particular review helpful -
It is important to note that 0 out of 3 found Annie Fengs review of help !!! (good to see Annie gave the Angel DVD series 5 stars - i think this speaks for itself).
Could Annie and people like her please stick to the Angel series or at least learn to read - are u really over 13 years of age Annie ???
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Summary: Hell's greatest architect
Review: Dante's "The Divine Comedy" is an allegory of the range of human potential from the depths of sin to the heights of grace, and the journey a man must take -- that is, the way he should live his life -- to make himself worthy of the ultimate rewards of Heaven. In a way, it contains the prototypical visions of the afterlife, images of heavenly and hellish realms that would remain definitive and powerful to centuries of readers. Structurally, it is a poem divided into three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). The protagonist, Dante himself, must travel through these three realms in order to reach God, the ultimate beatitude. The poem begins with Dante lost in the woods, like a man who lacks spiritual guidance or is uncertain how to live his life. He is approached by the Roman poet Virgil, who offers to lead him out of the wilderness. They have to travel down through the depths of Hell and face Satan himself (Inferno) before they can escape to the outside world and scale the mountain of Purgatory (Purgatorio), at the top of which is situated the Garden of Eden, where Beatrice, Dante's earthly love, will guide him up through the celestial spheres towards Heaven (Paradiso). Dante's great inspiration is his concept of the physical and spiritual aspects of these realms. Hell is composed of nine circles arranged in an inverted cone, each circle representing a mortal sin such as violence, theft, treason, witchcraft, blasphemy, suicide, heresy, etc., in which souls who committed these sins in their lifetimes are punished. Even the topmost circle is a sort of Limbo reserved for pre-Christians like Virgil himself, pagans and the unbaptized. Having envisioned this infernal masterpiece, Dante could be considered Hell's greatest architect. The mountain of Purgatory consists of seven terraces, each representing some corrigible sin like envy, pride, anger, etc., on which souls who committed these sins in their lifetimes do penance. The Garden of Eden represents living man's ideal state of existence, that of perfect wisdom and nearness to God. Admission to the Garden of Eden must be earned by doing penance for earthly sins, hence Purgatory. In the Paradiso, the celestial spheres, each representing a virtue (ambition, love, prudence, fortitude, etc.), consist of the moon, the inner and outer planets, the sun (based on the Ptolemaic model of the solar system), and finally Heaven, wherein dwell God and all angels. The poem could be considered a morality tale or a series of object lessons, but it's a little more purely narrative than that, given its creative illustration of the hierarchy of souls and its effortless synergy of classical Greco-Roman mythology and Christian theology. It is an essential Medieval literary landmark, and it is difficult to imagine how European literature would have evolved without it.
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Summary: A masterpiece full of vivid language and a great plot.
Review: Dante's classic epic is a beautifully written poem that has lasted for centuries. Besides the fact that it is a wonderful story, you can also read "between the lines" to find a deep examination of the soul. Regaurdless of your religious or spirtual preference, you will find the psychological questions and answers the book raises to be thought provoking. Many will find the language is complicated and "old fashioned" but once you get a good hold on it, this will only add to the beauty of it.
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Summary: Masterpiece
Review: Dante's Divine Comedy is compulsory reading in Italian high schools. Generally, the three books are read one per year. Because I *had* to read it, I never paid much attention to Dante's language (save for a few famous passages), nor the meaning. I recently picked my old tattered version and began to read. As a youngster I had preferred the Inferno, mostly for its almost gossipy quality-a veritable who's who in hell. Now, my preferences have shifted towards the last canto of Purgatory and all of Paradise. The beauty of the language the Alighieri uses, as he enters into Paradise, where Beatrice now guides him (instead of Virgil, elevating her to celestial status); where he dialogues with saints and describes the radiance and mysteries of heaven is so vivid. This is a body of work that surpasses the divine, at times, and should be read by young and old. I highly recommend this version as the translation is exquisite.
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