thespinalstack 's review for:

The Inferno by Dante Alighieri

2.0

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Well, as much as I love speculation on the judeo-christian interpretation of what the after-life may be if it exists; i have to say i didn't enjoy reading this book. Now, bear in mind that I did have to close-read it (which is always a fun killer) and I had a tight deadline to back it up. Looking at the pure content I enjoyed most of it. This translation was incredibly easy to understand and didn't lose any of its poetic value and the notes along the way provided much needed insight at times. The story reads like a beautifully terrible poem at times, and at others like a bad Insert-here-senpai/ reader fan fiction. Reading about how Virgil carries Dante in his oh so big strong arms could get awkward at times. Since I'm a fan of the Greeks more so than the Romans I don't exactly agree with Dante casting every Greek hero into the inferno just because he was from Florence and he felt like it. Also, the values he holds are outdated which of course is to be expected since the story was written years and years ago; though i'm not sure that makes up for the fact that flatterers are somehow worse than murders. Despite this I think there is still a lot of value in reading this epic poem and I see why it is still taught. I probably wouldn't read it again given the choice, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world.