The Divine Comedy [Paperback]

Dante Alighieri (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 23, 2012

Dante Alighieri's poetic masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of Paradise-the sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Long narrative poem originally titled Commedia (about 1555 printed as La divina commedia) written about 1310-14 by Dante. The work is divided into three major sections--Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso--which trace the journey of a man from darkness and error to the revelation of the divine light, culminating in the beatific vision of God. It is usually held to be one of the world's greatest works of literature. The plot of The Divine Comedy is simple: a man is miraculously enabled to visit the souls in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. He has two guides: Virgil, who leads him through the Inferno and Purgatorio, and Beatrice, who introduces him to Paradiso. Through these fictional encounters taking place from Good Friday evening in 1300 through Easter Sunday and slightly beyond, Dante the character learns of the exile that is awaiting him (an actual exile that had already occurred at the time of writing). This device allowed Dante not only to create a story out of his exile but also to explain how he came to cope with personal calamity and to offer suggestions for the resolution of Italy's troubles as well. Thus, Dante's story is historically specific as well as paradigmatic; his exile serves as a microcosm of the problems of a country, and it also becomes representative of the Fall of Man. The basic structural component of The Divine Comedy is the canto. The poem consists of 100 cantos, which are grouped into the three major sections, or canticles. Technically there are 33 cantos in each canticle and one additional canto, contained in the Inferno, that serves as an introduction to the entire poem. For the most part the cantos range from 136 to 151 lines. The poem's rhyme scheme is the terza rima (aba, bcb, cdc, etc.) Thus, the divine number three is present in every part of the work. Dante adopts the classical convention of a visit to the land of the dead, but he adapts it to a Christian worldview by beginning his journey there. The Inferno represents a false start during which Dante, the character, must be disabused of harmful values that somehow prevent him from rising above his fallen world. Despite the regressive nature of the Inferno, Dante's meetings with the damned are among the most memorable moments of the poem: the Neutrals, the virtuous pagans, Francesca da Rimini, Filipo Argenti, Farinata degli Uberti, Piero delle Vigne, Brunetto Latini, the simoniacal popes, Ulysses, and Ugolino impose themselves upon the reader's imagination with tremendous force. Nonetheless, the journey through the Inferno primarily signifies a process of separation and thus is only the initial step in a fuller development. In the Purgatorio the protagonist's spiritual rehabilitation commences. There Dante subdues his own personality so that he will be able to ascend. He comes to accept the essential Christian image of life as a pilgrimage, and he joins the other penitents on the road of life. At the summit of Purgatory, where repentant sinners are purged of their sins, Virgil departs, having led Dante as far as human knowledge is able--to the threshold of Paradise. Beatrice, who embodies the knowledge of divine mysteries bestowed by Grace, continues Dante's tour. In the Paradiso true heroic fulfillment is achieved. Dante's poem gives expression to those figures from the past who seem to defy death and who inspire in their followers a feeling of exaltation and a desire for identification. The Paradiso is consequently a poem of fulfillment and of completion. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

About the Author

Dante Alighieri was considered Italy's greatest poet. He is the author of the three canticles, The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso, along with La Vita Nuova. He died in 1321. John Ciardi was a distinguished poet and professor, having taught at Harvard and Rutgers universities, and is a poetry editor of The Saturday Review. He was a winner of the Harriet Monroe Memorial Award and the Prix de Rome.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 516 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Brown (December 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1613820607
• ISBN-13: 978-1613820605
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence. His family, of minor nobility, was not wealthy nor especially distinguished; his mother died when he was a child, his father before 1283. At about the age of 20 he married Gemma Donati, by whom he had three children. Little is known of Dante's formal education-it is likely to have included study with the Dominicans, the Augustinians, and the Franciscans in Florence, and at the university in Bologna. In 1295 he entered Florentine politics and in the summer of 1300 he became one of the six governing Priors of Florence. In 1301, the political situation forced Dante and his party into exile. For the rest of his life he wandered through Italy, perhaps studied at Paris, while depending for refuge on the generosity of various nobles. He continued to write and at some point late in life he took asylum in Ravenna where he completed the Divine Commedia and died, much honoured, in 1321.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Wrong and Misleading Reviews November 23, 2011

By Wayne Derber

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It seems to me that almost all of these reviews are NOT for this specific book. They must be for a different one. Many of these reviews refer to a translation of "The Divine Comedy" by John Ciardi and also refer to the book having many wonderful helpful notes. That certainly is NOT true of the book listed here. This book is translated by Longfellow and has absolutely NO notes (no preface, no introduction, no summary, no footnotes, and not even any information on the back cover). I find this translation very hard to understand and the lack of any explanatory notes makes the story line very hard to follow. Most of these reviews must refer to a different book of "The Divine Comedy."

I know that this is a classic book and the content is outstanding. But I certainly would NOT recommend buying this edition of "The Divine Comedy." I am very disappointed with this book.

So, I highly recommend you reading "The Divine Comedy;" but not this book. Try to find a one with a better translation and many helpful notes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Caveat Emptor! Again! March 4, 2013

By Critical "I"

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

My original review wasn't posted, apparently because it had too few words. So I will try again, and will be a little more prolix.

I found this edition by searching for "John Ciardi" whose translation of "The Divine Comedy" I wanted. My search returned this paperback edition. Not taking enough care, I didn't notice that, although the top review (5 stars) was writing about the Ciardi translation, and so were all the others displayed, nowhere in the book description was the translator mentioned.

What you need to know: This is NOT John Ciardi's translation of "The Divine Comedy". This is Longfellow's translation. How Amazon could be so knuckle-headed as to put these reviews on the page of a book to which they obviously don't apply is beyond me, but, if they don't mind paying UPS to pick up AGAIN from my house, I guess I'm not too upset about getting something I didn't want.

So, once again, this is NOT the John Ciardi translation of "The Divine Comedy". There, is that enough words for you Amazon?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware of translations January 27, 2011

By Sasha

Format:Audible Audio Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This audible book, ASIN: B002AC5HYU is a different translation from the Kindle edition shown and both are different from the hardback edition from Northwestern World Classics. The hardback edition translation is by Burton Raffel. If you are only going to read or listen to one form it may not matter to you but if the translation is important, you should research.