You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
reflective
actually really enjoyed this!!
i think it's extremely fun to read something and be able to tell how much depth of reference and connection there is in it despite not having the context to fully understand it. i understand that this is frustrating to a lot of people and i understand why, but i find it really quite pleasurable! sayers' translation is gorgeous and highly readable, it flows remarkably smoothly for dense epic poetry in translation from 700 years ago
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My rating is moreso based on the translation and format of this edition of the book than the actual story of The Inferno. I found this version incredibly useful and easily digestible as someone who had never really encountered Dante's work before. I found the preface to provide ample information to better place the work in its historical context, and the format of each Canto wherein you had a summary of the events, the Canto itself, and then additional contextual notes to be extremely effective at not only conveying the story itself, but also the context it was created in AND the lesson it was trying to impart on the reader. I would recommend this for anyone with a passing understanding of the classics who wishes to understand more about medieval texts like The Inferno.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
"Even the French aren't that idiotic." ~ Dante Alighieri, 1314.
Well... lots of symbolism. Hell, you're punished symbolically for the sins you commit on Earth. He mixes some paganism with Roman Catholicism, thus adding paganism to Roman Catholicism even more so. Outside of that, a good chunk of this book is Aligheri criticizing his political enemies and rivals. He spends more writing on Circle 8 (various forms of Fraud and Deception) as opposed to Circle 9, which is freaking TREASON of some form.
I think I wrote that institutional religion is failing today because those who run these institutions cannot connect with cultures that have evolved with templates of who and who is not a hero, good vs. evil, etc. despite their religions generally providing these templates because they fail to adequately use them. This is a fairly good example. The beginning is wonderful... but then it degenerates into the author attacking his political rivals for the most part.
I think I wrote that institutional religion is failing today because those who run these institutions cannot connect with cultures that have evolved with templates of who and who is not a hero, good vs. evil, etc. despite their religions generally providing these templates because they fail to adequately use them. This is a fairly good example. The beginning is wonderful... but then it degenerates into the author attacking his political rivals for the most part.
The original fan fiction!!!!!!!!
Such fun to revisit this in prep for RF Kuang’s Katabasis and thank god I still had my heavily annotated copies from Mr. Harrell’s senior English class. My original read of this is one of my all time favorite reading experiences. This one was only slightly less fun because I didn’t have a dedicated space to dissect and discuss it each day, but still such a fun read. I’ve been so so happy to see so many people picking this up because they love R.F. Kuang. I’m impartial to Mark Musa’s translations as that is what I’ve previously studied, but next time I pick this up perhaps I’ll branch out.
I’ll let everyone else tell you about how acclaimed and important this comedy is, but I’ve noticed something really interesting in my conversations about this book over the past month or so.
Over the past few weeks as everyone has been reading this, I’ve found myself a bit of an outlier in that people are surprised that I read this book as if it were any other book - because is it. I read for plot and character development and, most importantly, because I enjoy a good story. I think with classics or famous books like this we’ve allowed them to become so pretentious when really, most of this stuff is generally understandable and accessible. Yes I had my notes and spent many months in high school ONLY studying The Divine Comedy, and there are layers upon layers of meaning and metaphors and the very act of translation and it’s a brilliant example of so much that’s exciting about studying literature, but I thought then what I think now, this is a hell of a good story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated