A review by noahtato
Paradiso by Dante Alighieri

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While not a consistently stronger work than Purgatorio, the final 5-10 cantos are by far the most exquisite of the Comedy's, the crown jewel being the final ascent to the Empyrean. Dante pulls heavily from Boethius's Lady Philosophy through a lens of specifically ecclesiastical imagery, which sacrifices purity of message for vividness of metaphor (from the modern perspective). The earlier cantos seem like an extension of Purgatorio but without the narrative stakes, though the moral obviously transcends the narrative functions that would have made those cantos more engaging to read. I will be exploring the references and intricacies further over many years, I am sure.