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A review by bhall237
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
4.0
Inferno
“Lost are we, and are only so far punished,
That without hope we live on in desire.”
Purgatorio
“The lady chid me: “Why dost thou burn only
So with affection for the living lights,
And dost not look at what comes after them?””
Paradiso
“Thy city, which an offshoot is of him
Who first upon his Maker turned his back,
And whose ambition is so sorely wept,
Brings forth and scatters the accursed flower
Which both the sheep and lambs hath led astray,
Since it has turned the shepherd to a wolf.”
The Divine Comedy is one of those pieces of classic literature that is such a staple in the collective conscious not just avid readers, but in society as a whole universally that It’s hard to say anything that has an already been said about it. It is so universally known and understood what it is that describing it is a moot point and to analyze would test your own personal intelligence. With that in mind, this will more or less be my own personal feelings rather than a review or analysis of the work as a whole.
I loved Inferno, I really liked Purgatorio, and I thought Paradiso was slow compared to the previous two books. I’ve had this issue with other works in classic literature, but some of the writing just didn’t click visually in my brain so I had a hard time comprehending some of it, to a point where I had a dictionary next to me to understand a bit of the language of these books. Now, while this may seem extra to some people, I think being able to fully grasp and understand on a base level what Dante was conveying builds this overarching and ever-building experience to a crescendo.
I’m not entirely sure that I would recommend this to everyone I know and I’m not entirely sure who the audience is for in the modern day, but I know I gained a whole collection of knowledge from reading these books, and I will likely revisit these books in the future with a better translation of the vernacular. Overall, incredibly satisfying and challenging read that really pushes you to create a journey in relation to yourself as a person.
A note on the specific version of The Divine Comedy, the drawings included were absolutely breathtaking and some of the most spectacular works of art I have seen in relation to a work of literature.
“Lost are we, and are only so far punished,
That without hope we live on in desire.”
Purgatorio
“The lady chid me: “Why dost thou burn only
So with affection for the living lights,
And dost not look at what comes after them?””
Paradiso
“Thy city, which an offshoot is of him
Who first upon his Maker turned his back,
And whose ambition is so sorely wept,
Brings forth and scatters the accursed flower
Which both the sheep and lambs hath led astray,
Since it has turned the shepherd to a wolf.”
The Divine Comedy is one of those pieces of classic literature that is such a staple in the collective conscious not just avid readers, but in society as a whole universally that It’s hard to say anything that has an already been said about it. It is so universally known and understood what it is that describing it is a moot point and to analyze would test your own personal intelligence. With that in mind, this will more or less be my own personal feelings rather than a review or analysis of the work as a whole.
I loved Inferno, I really liked Purgatorio, and I thought Paradiso was slow compared to the previous two books. I’ve had this issue with other works in classic literature, but some of the writing just didn’t click visually in my brain so I had a hard time comprehending some of it, to a point where I had a dictionary next to me to understand a bit of the language of these books. Now, while this may seem extra to some people, I think being able to fully grasp and understand on a base level what Dante was conveying builds this overarching and ever-building experience to a crescendo.
I’m not entirely sure that I would recommend this to everyone I know and I’m not entirely sure who the audience is for in the modern day, but I know I gained a whole collection of knowledge from reading these books, and I will likely revisit these books in the future with a better translation of the vernacular. Overall, incredibly satisfying and challenging read that really pushes you to create a journey in relation to yourself as a person.
A note on the specific version of The Divine Comedy, the drawings included were absolutely breathtaking and some of the most spectacular works of art I have seen in relation to a work of literature.