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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Inferno of Dante has been sitting on my Audible shelf for two years, but after reading how Annis, the main character in Let Us Descend, is introduced to Inferno before descending into her own hell with her spirit guide, I decided to finally listen to Inferno.
So basically Dante is wandering and gets lost in the woods and meets Virgil, who tells him his deceased lover Beatrice, who is spending her eternity in paradise, sent him to guide Dante through the nine circles of hell. She felt that Dante was being wicked - he was previous exiled from Florence for corruption - and a tour of hell would set him straight.
What stood out to me is how much the judgments fit the sins. For instance, in the second circle lustful souls are being tossed around by winds with no control over their bodies because they had no control over their desires. Talk about poetic justice. The further they travel the more miserable the souls are. There's crying and weeping and an overall atmosphere of torment, which is the point.
I know this isn't meant to be funny, but Dante seeing historical and mythological figures in hell tickled me. I couldn't help but think of who in modern history he would condemn to the nine circles.
Inferno is the first part of Dante's three-part Divine Comedy and not only serves as an allegory - the nine circles represent the temptation we must overcome if we want eternal paradise - but also helped Dante process his feelings on his expulsion from his home.
George Guidall narrates this audiobook. He was good except I wish he changed up his voice a bit more while portraying different characters. The Robert Pinsky translation is good. It doesn't feel like it was written in the 14th century, but If I had to listen to it again I would choose one with a full cast.
So basically Dante is wandering and gets lost in the woods and meets Virgil, who tells him his deceased lover Beatrice, who is spending her eternity in paradise, sent him to guide Dante through the nine circles of hell. She felt that Dante was being wicked - he was previous exiled from Florence for corruption - and a tour of hell would set him straight.
What stood out to me is how much the judgments fit the sins. For instance, in the second circle lustful souls are being tossed around by winds with no control over their bodies because they had no control over their desires. Talk about poetic justice. The further they travel the more miserable the souls are. There's crying and weeping and an overall atmosphere of torment, which is the point.
I know this isn't meant to be funny, but Dante seeing historical and mythological figures in hell tickled me. I couldn't help but think of who in modern history he would condemn to the nine circles.
Inferno is the first part of Dante's three-part Divine Comedy and not only serves as an allegory - the nine circles represent the temptation we must overcome if we want eternal paradise - but also helped Dante process his feelings on his expulsion from his home.
George Guidall narrates this audiobook. He was good except I wish he changed up his voice a bit more while portraying different characters. The Robert Pinsky translation is good. It doesn't feel like it was written in the 14th century, but If I had to listen to it again I would choose one with a full cast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can appreciate a good classic but, I had the displeasure of reading this on my own (I love to suffer apparently), i feel like I'd like it much much more if i listened to the audiobook, my head hurts now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An absolute classic. I really found the translator’s notes helpful in understanding what is otherwise a very tricky book to read. The depictions of the sins are so vivid and the punishments reflect the sins themselves but the historical nature of the book just adds another layer. I’d highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Excrement
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Suicide, War
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abandonment
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Islamophobia
adventurous
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
The OG bible fanfic full of Dante’s fanboying and self-inserts 4⭐️
Also the translator Mark Musa did a great job keeping the tone and plot in this version 5⭐️ for the translator!
Also the translator Mark Musa did a great job keeping the tone and plot in this version 5⭐️ for the translator!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dante’s writing is truly fascinating to me, but readers be warned that Inferno is densely packed with allusion. Not only biblical, or even just greek mythos-based, but 14th century Italians politics, popes and other real-world religious figures, and at points personal acquaintances of Dante. I would not recommend delving into this work without prior background studies.
However, I do find it incredibly interesting the unique approach of analyzing real people in the context of their damnment to explain possible machinations of Hell. I enjoyed Inferno, even as a practicing pagan, which isn’t something I expected to be able to say about this book.
However, I do find it incredibly interesting the unique approach of analyzing real people in the context of their damnment to explain possible machinations of Hell. I enjoyed Inferno, even as a practicing pagan, which isn’t something I expected to be able to say about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Incest, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Murder
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reading this as translated version and i cant help but wonder how actually it is in the original italian version
dante's writing style factually fractures between giving too long not-so-important explantations and comparisons that can piss you off as you read it, and then not explaining important points and people even a bit, as if he thinks everyone already knows all of the secrets of every rich/important italian men had. jesus.
constant mentions of roman gods and legends and talks about them sometimes got me fully overthinking this entire book, mainly because while being based around God it casual mentions pagan gods, like this was all some multiverse and both God and those gods parallely had contolled the earth. like?! basis of the book is God, but yet all those roman god are mentioned, and aint the point of christianity - one god and no others?🤨
i aint christian enough to waste my sleep over it but damn that confused me
there many things that made no sense and were just outright weird and uncalled for and there were so many that i thought would be more complicated and explained better but were fully watered down, either by poem's boring style or translation (probably both)
would i have picked it up if it weren't for writing exam im having in three hours? probs no.
right now it seems really overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.
i did like it more than most of books i read for school tho
dante's writing style factually fractures between giving too long not-so-important explantations and comparisons that can piss you off as you read it, and then not explaining important points and people even a bit, as if he thinks everyone already knows all of the secrets of every rich/important italian men had. jesus.
constant mentions of roman gods and legends and talks about them sometimes got me fully overthinking this entire book, mainly because while being based around God it casual mentions pagan gods, like this was all some multiverse and both God and those gods parallely had contolled the earth. like?! basis of the book is God, but yet all those roman god are mentioned, and aint the point of christianity - one god and no others?🤨
i aint christian enough to waste my sleep over it but damn that confused me
there many things that made no sense and were just outright weird and uncalled for and there were so many that i thought would be more complicated and explained better but were fully watered down, either by poem's boring style or translation (probably both)
would i have picked it up if it weren't for writing exam im having in three hours? probs no.
right now it seems really overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.
i did like it more than most of books i read for school tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail