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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
The relationship between Dante and Virgil is so unbearably romantic, that each time it described how Virgil held him close to his chest, or how he told him that he would never abandon him, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I was actively praying that there would come a moment when they would just forget about everything and kiss passionately. It’s the way they speak to each other that was turning me into a rabid dog inside.
My favorite aspect of Dante’s vision of hell is there isn’t just Biblical characters appearing, but a wide range of characters from many mythologies. Greek, Roman, Arthurian, etc. And also famous historical figures existing together in this eternal punishment.
In each Canto, Dante speaks of characters I’ve never heard of before and people Dante himself knew in his lifetime, which is funny because his head canon is these people are now being tortured in hell right now. Throughout all the pain, gore, and suffering of each circle, it wasn’t until Canto XXXIV that I felt truely sad for the punishment experienced by one of the damned. The people he mentions and the writing may be hard to follow, but thankfully each Canto contains notes to help explain each detail.
I kind of hope that one day a mainstream series of The Divine Comedy is made. I pictured everything in my head so vividly. I would really like to see this.
My favorite aspect of Dante’s vision of hell is there isn’t just Biblical characters appearing, but a wide range of characters from many mythologies. Greek, Roman, Arthurian, etc. And also famous historical figures existing together in this eternal punishment.
In each Canto, Dante speaks of characters I’ve never heard of before and people Dante himself knew in his lifetime, which is funny because his head canon is these people are now being tortured in hell right now. Throughout all the pain, gore, and suffering of each circle, it wasn’t until Canto XXXIV that I felt truely sad for the punishment experienced by one of the damned. The people he mentions and the writing may be hard to follow, but thankfully each Canto contains notes to help explain each detail.
I kind of hope that one day a mainstream series of The Divine Comedy is made. I pictured everything in my head so vividly. I would really like to see this.
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Inferno is very deserving, for so many reasons, of it's place in the cannon.
On the one hand, it is something of a historic shit-list, airing his dirty laundry. At the same time, and because of Dante wanting to make it as public as possible, Inferno was written to be accessible to the public, setting the course of Italian literature from then on.
Dante did so much to define the way hell evolved as a mythological idea that it is often hard to pinpoint how much of Inferno's imagery and ideas are borrowed from others and how many were created by him.
But these historic notes are far from Inferno's only claim to fame. Dante's journey through the depths of hell is vividly described and infinitely interesting. The many ways devised by Satan to extract judgement on those in his custody are as entertaining as they are disturbing. The hell of Dante's imagination begs to be read.
—
As a final note, ensure you choose a translation that works for you. Switching from the Longfellow translation to James' made my experience so much more magical.
On the one hand, it is something of a historic shit-list, airing his dirty laundry. At the same time, and because of Dante wanting to make it as public as possible, Inferno was written to be accessible to the public, setting the course of Italian literature from then on.
Dante did so much to define the way hell evolved as a mythological idea that it is often hard to pinpoint how much of Inferno's imagery and ideas are borrowed from others and how many were created by him.
But these historic notes are far from Inferno's only claim to fame. Dante's journey through the depths of hell is vividly described and infinitely interesting. The many ways devised by Satan to extract judgement on those in his custody are as entertaining as they are disturbing. The hell of Dante's imagination begs to be read.
—
As a final note, ensure you choose a translation that works for you. Switching from the Longfellow translation to James' made my experience so much more magical.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i can't believe that i actually read the physical copy of this book! or read it at all! it was so hard to get into, i swear on the first 5 songs i was so close to falling asleep on the book (let's not tell my girl Jesi that, she will laugh at me).
overall, i very much enjoyed taking my time with this book and the contents? wow. i don't actually have all that many thoughts so i'm putting the only few that made me perk up:
overall, i very much enjoyed taking my time with this book and the contents? wow. i don't actually have all that many thoughts so i'm putting the only few that made me perk up:
- song 11, note 4 - Gomorrah, a town in Palestine!!!!! translation 1955 btw
- song 20, note 8 - Michael Scot, who died just to prove a point that he was right, lmaoooo; he is so earch sign coded.
- song in the 20s? -
the thieves that die and turn into dust and come back to life in human form - homm4? not really apparently....... i highly believe there was something similar in the game but turns out i am mistaken and i hate that abn me.
there were actually many parts where i straight-up laughed when i read the notes but those are not important.
one thing i didn't like was the ending itself - it felt very bland compared to the other songs and i wish there was a little bit more fighting with Lucifer for them to come out of Hell. it was too easy, y'know?
i am oh so very happy that i got to read a copy that was translated into old-ish bulgarian by Konstantin Velichkov. that is so special to me, not only because i ADORE old-ish bulgarian but also because he is one of the writers who were iconic for their time. it was really nice to read his thoughts on some notes and the whole book just felt ancient. i know that it already is but not every day i get to have a copy from 1955 in my hands, where you can feel the words that were imprinted on them and feel the art pieces that were engraved in this book. it was very special and i am so thankful to my work crush for lending it to me. if it weren't for her i would have never read it, actually.
one thing i didn't like was the ending itself - it felt very bland compared to the other songs and
i am oh so very happy that i got to read a copy that was translated into old-ish bulgarian by Konstantin Velichkov. that is so special to me, not only because i ADORE old-ish bulgarian but also because he is one of the writers who were iconic for their time. it was really nice to read his thoughts on some notes and the whole book just felt ancient. i know that it already is but not every day i get to have a copy from 1955 in my hands, where you can feel the words that were imprinted on them and feel the art pieces that were engraved in this book. it was very special and i am so thankful to my work crush for lending it to me. if it weren't for her i would have never read it, actually.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
sure it's a bit dark and unsettling at points, but it's hard to take it seriously when Dante is making it his sole mission to slander nearly every historical figure to live before him. too much of a history lesson in comparison to the minimal plot. the poetry style is a hit though, wonderful use of language with a brilliant translation on the Penguin Archive edition.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced