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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my second full readthrough of Sayers’ translation of Inferno—and it reaffirmed to me the great strengths and weaknesses of her approach. Her introduction and commentary, though outdated, are insightful and intriguing. She takes Dante’s perspectives—however similar or different from her own or our own today—very seriously. I love her approximation of the terza rima so much. Though it sometimes doesn’t add to the narrative, and often makes it more opaque, when it works, it’s like the story is singing; the rhythm and rhyme come together beautifully. It’s engrossing, and makes me understand why the story has had the influence and longevity it has. And that’s to say nothing of the story. Witty, endearing, sad, sometimes scary. Dante is so human, frail and frightened, but full of love and determination. His relationship with Virgil blooms through the text, and Sayers’ translation augments these moments (“his old, sweet smile”). This can be a tough read, and takes patience, but I think Sayers’ translation is incredibly underappreciated.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
informative
slow-paced
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I’m so glad to have read this but I did not enjoy reading it. I never say this, but I think an abridged version would have sufficed for me.
slow-paced
Dante really said: let me write Real Person Fanfiction about my enemies, my crush, and every public figure of my time and then canonize it as eternal literature. Seven centuries later, it’s still one of the most influential works ever written: shaping theology, art, and even our pop culture idea of hell. Imagine your spite poetry becoming the blueprint for the afterlife
Stopped at Canto 7 of Paradiso, it just became boring as fuck so quick, Purgatorio was the most enjoyable with Inferno being just alright