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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read the physical book and it's really interesting to hear the audio description of the poem on Audible. I like this kind of memory recollection along with discovering new perspectives about Dante's opera. Makes you super thoughtful and introspective. I enjoyed listening to it.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wish I would have picked a different translation for my first read through. While this edition had nice pretty pictures to help visualize what Dante was describing (especially interesting for Inferno), Longfellow was a bit dense to read. It sounds like he was attempted to capture the prose, rather than the 'plot', of the Divine Comedy, so it had lots of high English and was generally dense.
That being said, Inferno lived up to expectations. Purgatorio was alright, and Paradiso was a slog. Paradiso seemed to be essentially a drawn out treatise on Dante's theological views, and was one of the most obfuscating pieces I've read.
In general, I feel I would have benefitted from reading this in a class:course to get a bit more historical context. The entire trilogy was ripe with early 14th century Florentine pop culture references. While it was easy to pick up his disdain for whoever the pope was at the time, more background information may have allowed for a bit more immersion.
That being said, Inferno lived up to expectations. Purgatorio was alright, and Paradiso was a slog. Paradiso seemed to be essentially a drawn out treatise on Dante's theological views, and was one of the most obfuscating pieces I've read.
In general, I feel I would have benefitted from reading this in a class:course to get a bit more historical context. The entire trilogy was ripe with early 14th century Florentine pop culture references. While it was easy to pick up his disdain for whoever the pope was at the time, more background information may have allowed for a bit more immersion.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How in the World (or Inferno or Purgatorio or Paradiso) am I supposed to review this work?
I could review the edition and translator, though I have nothing else to compare them against. Ciardi's notes at the end of each canto are always illuminating, sometimes funny and occasionally self-deprecating. I chuckled at Ciardi's humor and was appreciative of his honesty whenever he used a rhyme-forced addition, as well as the instance or two when he asked the reader to forgive his less-than-perfect poetry. He's both thorough and entertaining.
Use any adjective you'd like and it's bound to fit at least one part of Dante's work: condemnatory, fearful and exuberant; horrific, trepidatious and jubilant; political, personal and universal: there's really no point in my going on, especially now that I've used three sets of three.
I'd love to know what kind of person Dante became after finishing this work. He had to be changed in the course of its writing; it would be sad (and too human of him) to think otherwise.
I could review the edition and translator, though I have nothing else to compare them against. Ciardi's notes at the end of each canto are always illuminating, sometimes funny and occasionally self-deprecating. I chuckled at Ciardi's humor and was appreciative of his honesty whenever he used a rhyme-forced addition, as well as the instance or two when he asked the reader to forgive his less-than-perfect poetry. He's both thorough and entertaining.
Use any adjective you'd like and it's bound to fit at least one part of Dante's work: condemnatory, fearful and exuberant; horrific, trepidatious and jubilant; political, personal and universal: there's really no point in my going on, especially now that I've used three sets of three.
I'd love to know what kind of person Dante became after finishing this work. He had to be changed in the course of its writing; it would be sad (and too human of him) to think otherwise.
Gorgeous read. See the review in my general account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/421297742.
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated