You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
311 reviews for:
La Divina Commedia: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri
Melville Best Anderson, Dante Alighieri
3.86 AVERAGE
311 reviews for:
La Divina Commedia: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri
Melville Best Anderson, Dante Alighieri
3.86 AVERAGE
I read this in such a pleasant way, every morning reading the Hollander summary, then the Canto itself, then going through the Hollander notes while reading the Canto a second time. There was ritual aspect to it. Then I finished and had nothing I felt I needed to say. This is and was so strange it's stumped my ability to write anything at all about this. So below is more a report than a review.
Purgatorio is nothing like Inferno in its impact. Here nothing is permanent, and the tragic aspects are not only a whole lot milder, but also are subsumed by Dante's own purging and entering into Garden of Eden. Dante can and does create and build on the sense of adventure, fascination, or narrative space and dimensions he created in Inferno, but he couldn't possibly duplicate the wonderful awfulness of his first book, and yet Inferno leaves its lingering presence here. Its enough.
Like he did with Hell, Dante here definitively defined the idea of Purgatory for the rest of history. Even more so here, as he had no artwork or narrative to work with. Purgatory was only defined by the Catholic church in 1274, at the Second Council of Lyon, a place in the afterlife for purging of sinful but uncondemned lives, especially for those who came back to Christ at the last moments before death, and after an otherwise sinful life. It's a loose idea to work with. Unlike Heaven and Hell, Purgatory has a time element. Souls pass pass through. And they have a goal, a purpose to weather whatever challenges this world throws at them.
Dante creates an ante-purgatory, and entry place for the souls on the right side of the razors edge, but who still haven't managed entry into Purgatory proper. They are welcomed with a surprise, the Roman Cato, a hero of the lost Republic. His cohorts, Brutus and Cassius, were especially selected, along with Judas Iscariot, for the most prominent position in the lowest level of hell, in the mouth of Lucifer, eternally gnawed on. So it's a mystery as to why Cato has so much better an outcome. I think its, in a way, a kind of statement by Dante that he's in charge of this world and it follows his rules. The second surprise of a sort is that Virgil has to figure out where to go. Dante's fearless guide in Inferno, who had travelled and knew the whole length of that world, even though he resided in the relatively pleasant Limbo space, has never made it this far. He's out of his element, and has to find his way, and he is worse off then everyone around him. Purgatory is a place of hope, of sustained pain accepted, even embraced, as the price of entry into Heaven. Virgil, condemned to Limbo, has no such hope.
Once in Purgatory, our pair wander through the seven sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony and Lust), each a layer with its own entry, and messages that are either visual or made of voices that just come out of the air, its own purging punishments appropriate for that sin, and each with an exit. They will meet famous characters with mixed records, and deceased and flawed one-time associates from Dante's life, and they will deal with their own challenges, exhaustions, uncertainties and visions. They will even meet one who has completed the process and is now saved, the Roman Poet Statius, author of the Thebiad and the unfinished epic, the Achilleida. Statius was devoted to Virgil's work, and saw him as the great poet. Unlike Virgil, Statius lived long enough to learn of Christ. Dante allows him a secret late saving conversion.
Statius hangs around and the three poets enter the Garden of Eden together, the earthly heaven. They are met first by a mysterious beauty, Matelda, then Beatrice herself, Dante's guiding light, and finally a heavenly procession with symbolic virtues, a Christ-like griffin and so on. What takes place is play of Dante with love and sex (and knowledge) contrasted with the ideal and purified sexless divine experience. Dante will characterize these non-sexual ladies with sexually charged poetic references, and go through a series of marriage-references with his Beatrice. He tells us, "desire upon desire so seized me.” It's a playful fight with Dante learning to gain control over his own will. Virgil will bless him as master of his will, a success, and then Virgil will fade away. Beatrice shrugs off the loss of our guide, merely commenting, famously, "Dante, because Virgil has departed”, and carries on. That line is considered the climax of the whole Comedy and of this book.
Dante, of course, is not done. He will be led by Matelda through the river Lethe, forgetting his sins, and be rewarded, especially, with the famous smile of Beatrice. "And then I shared the temporary blindness of those whose eyes have just been smitten by the sun, leaving me sightless for a time." Beatrice is not a bride, but more of a Christ-like figure, or maybe a Christ-bride. She gives Dante a prophecy and an order to record his experience. Finally Matelda leads him though the second river in the garden, the River Eunoe. This is Dante's own creation, and the river strengthens his memories of his good deeds. And so it ends.
-----------------------------------------------
35. Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri
translation and notes: Jean Hollander & Robert Hollander
published: 1320, translation 2003
format: 827-page Paperback, with original Italian, translation and notes
acquired: September
read: May 3 – Jun 28
time reading: 38 hr 6 min, 2.8 min/page
rating: 5
locations: Purgatory (antipodal to Jerusalem)
about the author Florentine poet, c. 1265 – 1321
Purgatorio is nothing like Inferno in its impact. Here nothing is permanent, and the tragic aspects are not only a whole lot milder, but also are subsumed by Dante's own purging and entering into Garden of Eden. Dante can and does create and build on the sense of adventure, fascination, or narrative space and dimensions he created in Inferno, but he couldn't possibly duplicate the wonderful awfulness of his first book, and yet Inferno leaves its lingering presence here. Its enough.
Like he did with Hell, Dante here definitively defined the idea of Purgatory for the rest of history. Even more so here, as he had no artwork or narrative to work with. Purgatory was only defined by the Catholic church in 1274, at the Second Council of Lyon, a place in the afterlife for purging of sinful but uncondemned lives, especially for those who came back to Christ at the last moments before death, and after an otherwise sinful life. It's a loose idea to work with. Unlike Heaven and Hell, Purgatory has a time element. Souls pass pass through. And they have a goal, a purpose to weather whatever challenges this world throws at them.
Dante creates an ante-purgatory, and entry place for the souls on the right side of the razors edge, but who still haven't managed entry into Purgatory proper. They are welcomed with a surprise, the Roman Cato, a hero of the lost Republic. His cohorts, Brutus and Cassius, were especially selected, along with Judas Iscariot, for the most prominent position in the lowest level of hell, in the mouth of Lucifer, eternally gnawed on. So it's a mystery as to why Cato has so much better an outcome. I think its, in a way, a kind of statement by Dante that he's in charge of this world and it follows his rules. The second surprise of a sort is that Virgil has to figure out where to go. Dante's fearless guide in Inferno, who had travelled and knew the whole length of that world, even though he resided in the relatively pleasant Limbo space, has never made it this far. He's out of his element, and has to find his way, and he is worse off then everyone around him. Purgatory is a place of hope, of sustained pain accepted, even embraced, as the price of entry into Heaven. Virgil, condemned to Limbo, has no such hope.
Once in Purgatory, our pair wander through the seven sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony and Lust), each a layer with its own entry, and messages that are either visual or made of voices that just come out of the air, its own purging punishments appropriate for that sin, and each with an exit. They will meet famous characters with mixed records, and deceased and flawed one-time associates from Dante's life, and they will deal with their own challenges, exhaustions, uncertainties and visions. They will even meet one who has completed the process and is now saved, the Roman Poet Statius, author of the Thebiad and the unfinished epic, the Achilleida. Statius was devoted to Virgil's work, and saw him as the great poet. Unlike Virgil, Statius lived long enough to learn of Christ. Dante allows him a secret late saving conversion.
Statius hangs around and the three poets enter the Garden of Eden together, the earthly heaven. They are met first by a mysterious beauty, Matelda, then Beatrice herself, Dante's guiding light, and finally a heavenly procession with symbolic virtues, a Christ-like griffin and so on. What takes place is play of Dante with love and sex (and knowledge) contrasted with the ideal and purified sexless divine experience. Dante will characterize these non-sexual ladies with sexually charged poetic references, and go through a series of marriage-references with his Beatrice. He tells us, "desire upon desire so seized me.” It's a playful fight with Dante learning to gain control over his own will. Virgil will bless him as master of his will, a success, and then Virgil will fade away. Beatrice shrugs off the loss of our guide, merely commenting, famously, "Dante, because Virgil has departed”, and carries on. That line is considered the climax of the whole Comedy and of this book.
Dante, of course, is not done. He will be led by Matelda through the river Lethe, forgetting his sins, and be rewarded, especially, with the famous smile of Beatrice. "And then I shared the temporary blindness of those whose eyes have just been smitten by the sun, leaving me sightless for a time." Beatrice is not a bride, but more of a Christ-like figure, or maybe a Christ-bride. She gives Dante a prophecy and an order to record his experience. Finally Matelda leads him though the second river in the garden, the River Eunoe. This is Dante's own creation, and the river strengthens his memories of his good deeds. And so it ends.
-----------------------------------------------
35. Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri
translation and notes: Jean Hollander & Robert Hollander
published: 1320, translation 2003
format: 827-page Paperback, with original Italian, translation and notes
acquired: September
read: May 3 – Jun 28
time reading: 38 hr 6 min, 2.8 min/page
rating: 5
locations: Purgatory (antipodal to Jerusalem)
about the author Florentine poet, c. 1265 – 1321
My review for this is very similar to Inferno: pretty and interesting language, but very problematic theology, which tends to overshadow a lot of the book just because I've had Dante's works preached to me as fact so many times.
Side note: Some of the punishments here seemed much more horrifying than those in Inferno, like eyes been sewn shut. It was really interesting for me to think about why that was. I wonder if it might be because they are contrasted with a lot of beauty.
Side note: Some of the punishments here seemed much more horrifying than those in Inferno, like eyes been sewn shut. It was really interesting for me to think about why that was. I wonder if it might be because they are contrasted with a lot of beauty.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
"My little ship of ingenuity/now hoists her sails to speed through better waters..."
Having finished his tour of hell and its residents, Dante Alighieri turns his attention to a more cheerful (if less juicy) supernatural realm. "Purgatory" is less famous than its predecessor, but it's still a beautiful piece of work that explores the mindset not of the damned, but of sinners who are undergoing a divine cleansing -- beautiful, hopeful and a little sad.
Outside of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter a small boat piloted by an angel and filled with human souls -- and unlike the damned, they're eager to find "the mountain." And as Hell had circles of damnation, Purgatory has terraces that the redeemable souls climb on their way towards Heaven, and none of the people there will leave their terrace until they are cleansed.
And the sins that are cleansed here are the seven deadly ones: the proud, the envious, the wrathful, the greedy, the lazy, the gluttonous, and the lustful. But as Dante moves slowly through the terraces, he finds himself gaining a new tour guide as he approaches Heaven...
I'll say this openly: the second part of the "Divine Comedy" is simply not as deliciously entertaining as "Inferno" -- it was kind of fun to see Dante skewering the corrupt people of his time, and describing the sort of grotesque punishments they merited. But while not as fun, "Purgatory" is a more transcendent, hopeful kind of story since all the souls there will eventually be cleansed and make their way to Heaven.
As a result, "Purgatorio" is filled with a kind of eager anticipation -- there's flowers, stars, dancing, angelic ferrymen, mythic Grecian rivers and an army of souls who are all-too-eager to get to Purgatory so their purification can start. Alighieri's timeless poetry has a silken quality, from beginning to end ("Here rise again to life, oh poetry! Let it o holy Muses...") and it's crammed with classical references and Christian symbolism (the Sun's part in advancing the soiled souls).
And the trip through Purgatory seems to have a strong effect on Dante's self-insert, who appears less repulsed and more fascinated by what he sees there. It's hard not to feel sorry for him when the paternal Virgil exits the Comedy, but at least he has someone else appears to guide him.
The middle part of the Divine Comedy isn't as juicy as "Inferno," but the beauty of Dante Alighieri's writing makes up for it. "Purgatory" is a must read... and then on to Paradise.
Having finished his tour of hell and its residents, Dante Alighieri turns his attention to a more cheerful (if less juicy) supernatural realm. "Purgatory" is less famous than its predecessor, but it's still a beautiful piece of work that explores the mindset not of the damned, but of sinners who are undergoing a divine cleansing -- beautiful, hopeful and a little sad.
Outside of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter a small boat piloted by an angel and filled with human souls -- and unlike the damned, they're eager to find "the mountain." And as Hell had circles of damnation, Purgatory has terraces that the redeemable souls climb on their way towards Heaven, and none of the people there will leave their terrace until they are cleansed.
And the sins that are cleansed here are the seven deadly ones: the proud, the envious, the wrathful, the greedy, the lazy, the gluttonous, and the lustful. But as Dante moves slowly through the terraces, he finds himself gaining a new tour guide as he approaches Heaven...
I'll say this openly: the second part of the "Divine Comedy" is simply not as deliciously entertaining as "Inferno" -- it was kind of fun to see Dante skewering the corrupt people of his time, and describing the sort of grotesque punishments they merited. But while not as fun, "Purgatory" is a more transcendent, hopeful kind of story since all the souls there will eventually be cleansed and make their way to Heaven.
As a result, "Purgatorio" is filled with a kind of eager anticipation -- there's flowers, stars, dancing, angelic ferrymen, mythic Grecian rivers and an army of souls who are all-too-eager to get to Purgatory so their purification can start. Alighieri's timeless poetry has a silken quality, from beginning to end ("Here rise again to life, oh poetry! Let it o holy Muses...") and it's crammed with classical references and Christian symbolism (the Sun's part in advancing the soiled souls).
And the trip through Purgatory seems to have a strong effect on Dante's self-insert, who appears less repulsed and more fascinated by what he sees there. It's hard not to feel sorry for him when the paternal Virgil exits the Comedy, but at least he has someone else appears to guide him.
The middle part of the Divine Comedy isn't as juicy as "Inferno," but the beauty of Dante Alighieri's writing makes up for it. "Purgatory" is a must read... and then on to Paradise.
He got a bit too flowery for me by the end (I don't think I'll read Paradise for a while) but reading this during Lent was an interesting experience! Going through all the levels and thinking about common sins in life, applying it to my own....recommend it for anyone.
How does this happen? How did I read The Inferno in three days and love every word of it, but The Purgatorio was like pulling teeth for almost three months?! I don't understand it. But alas, I have FINALLY finished the second part of the Divine Comedy.
The thing is, it's not like John Ciardi's translation was any different. The poetry was still translated well. The imagery made sense, and I was able to follow along. And of course, I love the notes that are provided at the end of each canto to make sure the reader completely understands what they've just read. All of the technical stuff is totally fine.
But I guess I was just more interested in the souls of the damned than the souls of the saved. Kinda morbid, but I don't know why else I'd have such a vastly different take on The Purgatorio. It makes me question if I should ever even read The Paradiso. Of course I'm going to eventually, but I'm way less excited about it than I was for this installment after finishing The Inferno.
The thing is, it's not like John Ciardi's translation was any different. The poetry was still translated well. The imagery made sense, and I was able to follow along. And of course, I love the notes that are provided at the end of each canto to make sure the reader completely understands what they've just read. All of the technical stuff is totally fine.
But I guess I was just more interested in the souls of the damned than the souls of the saved. Kinda morbid, but I don't know why else I'd have such a vastly different take on The Purgatorio. It makes me question if I should ever even read The Paradiso. Of course I'm going to eventually, but I'm way less excited about it than I was for this installment after finishing The Inferno.
O segundo livro da Divina Comédia parte de uma premissa interessante: "quem mais sobe acha menos resistência". Tal ideia vale tanto para o percurso do purgatório, quanto para leitura da obra de Dante.
Minha habilidade para leitura de poesia, mesmo tendo evoluído a cada canto, continua principiante. Aliada a essa dificuldade, há a citação de inúmeras figuras históricas datadas que se unem a centenas de anotações de rodapé cansativas. Entretanto, essas questões não repelem o interesse que o ciclos dos sete pecados capitais geram.
Terminei a leitura apenas lembrando da Clara em "A Casa dos Espíritos" falando para o padre que "se essa história de inferno for pura mentira nós todos nos chateamos", porque comecei a comprar as descrições e vou me frustrar se minha temporada pós-morte não for acompanhada por Virgílio...
Minha habilidade para leitura de poesia, mesmo tendo evoluído a cada canto, continua principiante. Aliada a essa dificuldade, há a citação de inúmeras figuras históricas datadas que se unem a centenas de anotações de rodapé cansativas. Entretanto, essas questões não repelem o interesse que o ciclos dos sete pecados capitais geram.
Terminei a leitura apenas lembrando da Clara em "A Casa dos Espíritos" falando para o padre que "se essa história de inferno for pura mentira nós todos nos chateamos", porque comecei a comprar as descrições e vou me frustrar se minha temporada pós-morte não for acompanhada por Virgílio...
2.5 stars.
This was much lighter than Inferno in subject matter but it is also lacked the wow factor that Inferno had. The story continues on in Purgatory but it is somewhat repetitive and didn’t have me captivated like Inferno did. I will read Paradise but will leave it for some time as I am feeling a little burnt out on Dante.
This was much lighter than Inferno in subject matter but it is also lacked the wow factor that Inferno had. The story continues on in Purgatory but it is somewhat repetitive and didn’t have me captivated like Inferno did. I will read Paradise but will leave it for some time as I am feeling a little burnt out on Dante.
Purgatorio is superior to Inferno, in my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm reading a different translator for the second part of The Divine Comedy, but the style took one giant step up from its predecessor.
There are less references to the Guelphs and Ghibellines, since there aren't too many of them hanging around in Purgatory. Instead the focus is on the seven deadly sins, and journeying through the different layers of Purgatory, meeting all sorts of souls who are trying to get out.
I don't think the actual Christian Purgatory is a mirror of Dante's Purgatory; I think he took some liberties, but it didn't detract for me, since that's not something I would care about.
Near the end we finally meet Beatrice, who has been alluded to over and over again throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. Virgil slinks away, so I'm assuming he is not in Paradiso. Beatrice seems rather dominant compared to Dante, and I'm glad she's not just a wisp of an angel mooning over him.
I thought the imagery and intent in Purgatorio was superior, and shows character development. Dante isn't laughing at everyone, and instead seems to be having some true learning experiences and receiving wisdom of the world.
I read the translation by Jean and Robert Hollander. It is a thick tome with copious notes, and an outline of each canto, which I greatly appreciated. If you are looking for a translation with lots of in-depth notes, then the Hollander version is going to do it. If you are more of a casual reader, and you hate notes, you could just stick to the outlines before each canto, and reference notes when you want to.
The book cover of this translation made me laugh. Not sure why they wanted this particular image? It's a bit much when other people are looking at what you are reading. The top part appears to be naked men kissing, standing in flames. The bottom part is more naked men standing in flames.
There are less references to the Guelphs and Ghibellines, since there aren't too many of them hanging around in Purgatory. Instead the focus is on the seven deadly sins, and journeying through the different layers of Purgatory, meeting all sorts of souls who are trying to get out.
I don't think the actual Christian Purgatory is a mirror of Dante's Purgatory; I think he took some liberties, but it didn't detract for me, since that's not something I would care about.
Near the end we finally meet Beatrice, who has been alluded to over and over again throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. Virgil slinks away, so I'm assuming he is not in Paradiso. Beatrice seems rather dominant compared to Dante, and I'm glad she's not just a wisp of an angel mooning over him.
I thought the imagery and intent in Purgatorio was superior, and shows character development. Dante isn't laughing at everyone, and instead seems to be having some true learning experiences and receiving wisdom of the world.
I read the translation by Jean and Robert Hollander. It is a thick tome with copious notes, and an outline of each canto, which I greatly appreciated. If you are looking for a translation with lots of in-depth notes, then the Hollander version is going to do it. If you are more of a casual reader, and you hate notes, you could just stick to the outlines before each canto, and reference notes when you want to.
The book cover of this translation made me laugh. Not sure why they wanted this particular image? It's a bit much when other people are looking at what you are reading. The top part appears to be naked men kissing, standing in flames. The bottom part is more naked men standing in flames.
I liked this better than Inferno, and I felt it was easier to get through. A beautiful story with lots of symbolism.