Public reader discussion about The divine comedy in the WeRead Catalog by Dante Alighieri.
By dreamyhat
I’ve heard Dante is way easier if you have some kind of commentary or guide while you read, because otherwise it’s pretty hard to follow. I’m thinking about starting the Divine Comedy soon, but I’m not totally sure where to begin.
By brightbutton
I’m kind of curious which part of the Divine Comedy people here find the most interesting. A lot of people seem to like Inferno the most, probably because it gets assigned more and it’s just the easiest to picture with all the punishment and suffering and all that. I get why that would be the favorite, but honestly I’m much more into Paradiso. It seems like a much harder thing to pull off, trying to describe happiness, peace, and purity when it’s all so hard to really put into words. That’s about the best way I can explain how I feel, but I’d really like to hear what other readers think and which one they rank highest. What do you all think?
By fish_pages
I’ve been wondering—Dante’s Divine Comedy was written in what language exactly? And does a complete Italian translation exist? Also, is there an edition published in the original language?
By Footnote_Cup64
Does anyone know of any good websites or other materials online that can help me understand this book better? If there are line-by-line explanations or some background stuff in simpler language, that would be awesome—I’m trying to get the plot but it’s a bit hard for me right now. Thanks a lot!
By Noisy_Shelf7
Dante’s whole trip through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven was honestly super emotional for me. It made me think a lot about myself, and it also felt like I was learning how people in the 13th century thought. I kept finding that each part was better than the last—the Inferno is good, but The Purgatorio hits harder, and The Paradiso is on a whole different level. The ending of The Purgatorio and basically all of The Paradiso felt like pure joy/bliss to me. What really gets me is how his whole understanding of love changes. I’ve never read anything like it. It’s probably the best explanation of love I’ve come across, and it might even be the greatest love story ever. Virgil kind of shows him how messed-up love can end up separating you forever from anything good, then later Dante learns how to undo that distortion. Near the end of The Purgatorio he finally meets Beatrice, and she’s the one who leads him through Heaven, where he learns where love and happiness actually come from and what “real” love looks like. I’d definitely recommend it, but fair warning: the writing can be tough. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like a lot of people would come away at least a little different. I also got choked up multiple times, which is pretty not like me. Small disclaimer: I’m Roman Catholic, so that probably affects how much I loved it. Anyway—don’t bail after The Inferno if you’re put off at first. I still think The Purgatorio is way better, and The Paradiso is way beyond anything I’ve read. (I read John Ciardi’s translation.)
By WeatherPencil3
I’m trying to find a really nice illustrated edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy as a gift for someone who’s big on beautiful books. They already have the Ciardi paperback. Ideally it’d be a hardcover, with either the Gustav Doré or William Blake illustrations, and a more modern translation if possible. Right now I’m stuck between: - Heritage Press (illust. William Blake, trans. Melville Best Anderson) - Franklin Library (illus. Doré, trans. Ciardi) If anyone has one of these, or just a favorite edition in general, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed. Also open to other classic books with gorgeous illustrated editions.
By sailwarm16
So is the Divine Comedy basically part of Christian theology? I don’t mean whether the actual book is treated as canon, but more like—are the whole structure bits (the circles of hell, the seven heavens, and the seven levels of purgatory) something Catholics believe, or is it just Dante’s stuff?
By weather-eagle5
Since I can read Spanish and English, I thought reading the Spanish version would be closer to the original Italian. I actually found a full Mitre translation and started it, and it was fine at first, but I just can’t do the whole thing comfortably on my laptop—I’d really need a paper copy. But it feels like it’s impossible to get one. Everything I see online is like hundreds of dollars, and the “samples” don’t look legit either—more like someone copy/pasted and never fixed the line breaks. So yeah, if anyone knows where I can buy a physical copy of La Divina Comedia in Bartolome Mitre’s translation for under $50, please tell me. I’d seriously be so grateful.
By ribbon-quiet19
Just so you know, I’ve read the whole Divine Comedy already, so if you ask for a specific quote I could probably pull one up right away. Also, if you’re not familiar, it’s a poem by Dante Alighieri where he goes as a human through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, one for each part.
By ink-lunar
I was browsing around here and it feels like not many people actually know much about medieval Italian literature, so I’m curious what folks outside Italy think about this poem. Personally I think it’s up there among the best literary works ever written—maybe even the very best.
By DullCamera2003
A few caveats first: - I’m only on my first pass, and I’m about halfway through Purgatorio. - I might just be missing something obvious, because I’m not exactly the most careful reader. - I’m not reading Dante in Italian. - And honestly, I could just be off base. I don’t have much to back this up, and with Dante there’s so much symbolism that proving anything feels impossible anyway. ---------------------------------------------- I’m reading Dante for the first time right now, and I also happen to be taking a class on him at uni, so I can ask a professor stuff. Except he usually doesn’t love my questions, so I’ve stopped asking quite so much. He pretty much shot this idea down too. Still, I wanted to put it out there and see what other people think. Basically I keep wondering: why does the whole journey happen at all? What actually gets Dante allowed into the other world in the first place? In class we did a quick overview of his life, and from what I can tell he had a fairly good life overall, aside from the obvious mess with his true love being married to someone else and then dying. He had a wife, three kids, a decent job, property, friends, all that. Then suddenly, while he’s literally on assignment in Rome, he gets told he’s lost his job, all his property is taken, he’s exiled, he can’t see his children for who knows how long, maybe ever, and he can’t go back to his friends. Everything gets blown up at once. And this is all happening when he’s around 30, so right in the middle of that whole mid-life crisis zone. Maybe this is also because I’m turning 30 this year, but when I read the opening I just kept thinking: this is someone who’s close to ending it, and then Virgil shows up, sent by Beatrice, to take him through the horrors of Hell, the boredom of Purgatorio, and the joy of Heaven, basically to show him that he has to keep going. That’s the thing that lets him enter Hell. Canto 13, with the suicide forest, really feels to me like Dante is getting hit over and over with “this is what happens if I do it” vibes. He pities the tree, and Virgil does too, which feels unusual for him. And Cato — I know this can’t really be proven, and that’s not really my point — but he seems like the perfect example of Dante maybe seeing a man who killed himself but was still treated like a hero by a lot of people. Cato gets to be lifted out of Limbo as a pagan, which is wild. Not even Plato gets that, but Cato does, and he committed suicide. So to me it almost feels like Dante is looking at Cato as a possible model for suicide that still escapes Hell. ---------------------------------------------- Anyway, that’s where I’m at with it. I know Dante ends up seeing Beatrice in Heaven, so maybe the idea is just that he has to tough it out for another 30 years and not take the easy way before he gets his reward. I’m probably wrong, but whatever. What do you think is the reason for Dante’s journey? When I asked my professor, he just said something like, “There are lots of readings and we can’t know,” and that was basically the end of it. I’m not trying to pin down the one true answer. I just want to know how you read it. What makes the whole thing work for you?
By fuzzy_cougar
I’m reading Dante’s Divine Comedy right now and I’m honestly really into it. I’m on the fifth canto and the whole depth and the imagery just hits hard. The one thing that’s been bugging me is the “wine” situation—also, I keep thinking about Virgil. Since he’s such a big deal here and he wrote the Aeneid, I was wondering: would it be a good idea to read the Aeneid alongside the Commedia, or is it better to wait?
By prose-pages
Got this nice-looking copy of *The Divine Comedy* as a gift for me a while back (it even has the Gustav Doré illustrations). It wasn’t the translation I was originally hoping for, but I figured I’d give it a shot since the book itself is gorgeous. Once I started reading, though… yeah, it’s not great. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled with an English version this much. Without the pictures, I honestly don’t think I’d be able to keep up with what’s going on. The wording feels really strange, like someone auto-translated it and then tried to fancy it up with old-timey synonyms. Maybe I’ll post a couple excerpts later. Right now I’m looking at John Ciardi’s translation (the one I wanted in the first place). I’ve only skimmed a few parts so far, but it already feels way easier to follow and it just reads more smoothly than the one I have. I also checked out a bit of Reverend H. F. Tozer’s 1904 version, and that one also seems solid, just a little more old-fashioned in the language compared to Ciardi. I really like that both editions have footnotes too—because there are definitely concepts that I don’t get, and it’s hard to remember that the poem is from like 700 years ago. So, what translation would you recommend? I’m not limited to Ciardi or Tozer—those are just the ones I’ve already looked at. If you have a favorite, could you say why? Update: I didn’t expect this to get so many replies, thanks everyone. I ended up choosing the Ciardi translation, and I’m excited to finally dig into it.
By tide_mostness2002
I just started The Divine Comedy and so far I’ve only gotten through Purgatorio, but I’m kind of curious what everyone else thinks of it. My reaction has been weirdly split. The visuals are honestly insane. The whole setup with Hell and Mount Purgatory, plus the punishments, is super intense and super detailed. Even though I’m an atheist, this book has still managed to make what “God/religion” meant to people back in the 1300s feel real in my head, and yeah, it’s even gotten under my skin in a way I didn’t expect. But man, getting through it has also felt like a slog. I’m used to reading without needing to constantly stop and look stuff up or rely on footnotes just to understand what’s going on. This was the first book that seriously made me feel dumb. I’d read a canto and get basically nothing beyond the most obvious stuff, then I’d go to the notes and realize there were a ton of references I completely missed. Even after reading the annotations, I still didn’t really “get” a lot of it. By the end it felt like trying to sit through this long history lesson, and near the later cantos the allegory and allusions just piled up so much I was just exhausted. After Inferno and Purgatorio, I feel like I understood very little overall. I can see why Inferno is the most popular now—it’s just easier to follow and more engaging than Purgatorio. I’m planning to start Paradiso soon, but before I do, I’d love to hear what people who finished all of it thought, and whether anyone has tips for reading it (or dealing with all the references) before I jump into the last part.
By focus_jar7
I’m thinking about doing my first read of Dante’s *Divina Commedia*, but I can’t really decide which English version to go with. Right now I’m stuck between Ciardi, Mandelbaum, and Hollander. From what I’ve seen: Ciardi does those rhyming three-line stanzas, and people seem to treat it as more “poetic” than strictly faithful. Mandelbaum gets called the more academic/scholarly one and it shows up a lot in classes, but I’ve also heard it can feel kind of dry. Hollander sounds more modern and I’ve heard really good things, but apparently it can get expensive since each part comes as its own book. I’ve also heard good stuff about Merwin and Pinsky, but they only cover *Purgatorio* and *Inferno*, respectively. If anyone has other recommendations, I’m all ears.
By roundAsh93
It feels like there are a ton of these around, so does anyone know a really good one to start with? (Also, English please…) Thanks for all the replies though—now I’ve got a bunch of good options! 😄
By shadow_mole1996
We’re still moving through the universe around Paradiso with Dante and Beatrice. Canto VIII: Venus Rising (Fun fact: Venus crossed the sun in 2012, so if you missed that, oh well. Next time is 2117.) We make it up to Venus, and Dante talks with Charles Martel, a bright future ruler who died too young. The main idea here is that people’s nature can’t really be changed by what earthly powers want. Also, Dante may have actually known him, and there’s a little nod to Dante’s other big work, La Vita Nuova. Canto IX: Prophecies and More Dante keeps talking with Cunizza da Romano, who turned from human love for her troubadour into love of God, and that’s why she’s on Venus. What’s interesting is there doesn’t seem to be any punishment or repentance for her old earthly pleasure and love. Her brother Ezzelino III, though, is in Inferno with the violent. Then there’s Folco, another troubadour-turned-Bishop of Toulouse. Dante looks like he’s comparing his Albigensian Crusade to the current pope failing to win back the Holy Land. (People reading The Name of the Rose with r/bookclub might honestly argue whether Folco belongs in Paradiso!) We also get a bunch of talk about church corruption and a prophecy that Rome will be set right. Canto X: Shine Out Fair Sun! Then we move on and look at the order and harmony God’s love gave the world, with all the orbits and movement and life. Beatrice takes Dante to the Sun, and he thanks God for what he sees. The Sun is full of wise people dancing and singing and shining. We meet names like Thomas Aquinas, who helped shape Dante’s theology in this work, and King Solomon. We also listen to God’s clock. Canto XI: More Sun A kind of wandering marriage image about Poverty and Christ leads into St. Francis of Assisi. His vow of poverty and trying to convert the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade gets put against the current Dominican order’s corruption, since they’ve lost the real way. Canto XII: Now, About Those Dominicans... There’s more dancing and fire and, like Iris, messenger of the gods, we go into Saint Dominic’s devotion to the Church, where he marries Faith the way St. Francis marries Poverty. He’s also called the “Domini Canes,” or Dogs of the Lord—Dominic’s name means “belongs to the Lord,” which is what his female relative predicted. We get mentions of his loyal followers, and that stands in contrast to the Franciscans being split between normal practice and total poverty in their order. Canto XIII: More From St. Thomas We get pretty astronomical here, with Ursa Major, aka the Big Dipper, and Ariadne’s Crown, a double Corona Borealis. St. Thomas keeps talking to Dante about God’s plan and different natures, plus King Solomon’s request to God. Aristotelian ideas get pushed back on, and there’s even some trigonometry. Canto XIV: Towards Mars More dancing and singing, and we talk about Resurrection and how it changes the light in Paradiso. We pass the Milky Way and head toward Mars. Then Dante gets a vision of Christ on the cross and feels sort of an Eastertide of the soul. Beatrice’s eyes are shining like crazy. Canto XV: On Mars Mars is quiet, and now we’re doing math. Dante meets his ancestor, who started the family name in old Florence, when it was still innocent. Cacciaguida tells Dante about the good old days in a way Dante-the-person can actually understand, and says he followed Emperor Conrad in the Second Crusade, which was a pretty huge failure. Still, from war he ended up in peace on Mars. We’ll meet again next week for more Paradiso, in Cantos 16-24! Questions below
By figbookworm1988
I saw people the other day arguing about what came before the isekai genre, and they were throwing out stuff like The Wizard of Oz. I asked whether something like The Divine Comedy should count too, and they basically shut it down because they said it’s too obscure. So yeah, that’s kind of where that whole “justified killing” idea is coming from, I guess.
By CarefulKey14
Hi! Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I’m not sure where else to ask. I’ve been wanting to learn more about Dante’s *Divine Comedy* lately. I know it started as narrative poetry, but I’ve seen some really interesting creative adaptations floating around online. I’d honestly rather experience it as a performance or something you can listen to, because I’ve been dealing with some personal issues with reading, and it feels like this kind of poetry should be heard. I might be totally off though—I'm just curious. Like, I’m especially interested in that “teaser” for the Synetic Theatre version from 2016 (link: https://youtu.be/xJgxKBGcMFE?feature=shared). I guess the show isn’t running anymore, and I can’t seem to find a full filmed version anywhere. Does anyone know of any stage or performance adaptations of the *Divine Comedy* that are available in full?
By UnfetterWrites
Just finished the book and I’m honestly impressed. I’m sure there’s a bunch of symbolism in there that I probably won’t catch all of. I’ve already heard a couple pretty interesting takes, though, so I’m guessing there’s more out there. So yeah, please share what you’ve got. I’d love to hear the things you noticed yourself or any research behind it. I’m a little stuck trying to follow everything, mostly because I don’t really know a lot of the names they use, and I don’t know much about the history of that area either since I’m not from anywhere near it. But I’m excited to see what everyone else has to say.