Ain't nothin' funny about "The Divine Comedy". The book should come with cautionary stickers.
I read John Ciardi's translation. He prefaced every canto with an simple narrative of what the canto would tell. He followed every canto with voluminous footnotes to explain/decode Dante's references.
To be clear, I couldn't have read this in its original language version. I wouldn't have understood anything without John's cheat sheets.
For all I know, John was just making it up. For all I know there was no Dante.
Is Dante a poet? Beats me.
"The Divine Comedy" is three books: "Inferno"; "Purgatorio"; and "Paradiso". (hell, purgatory and paradise)
Assuming there was a Dante and assuming John wasn't just making it all up, here's what I've learned from reading "The Divine Comedy":
1. Dante really hated various clergy, aristocrats and hypocrites. I'm talking world class hate. He hated them so much he created a detailed Hell for them. You didn't want to be on Dante's shit list.
2. He wanted all of us to know that we had dues to pay as well. Yeah, Purgatory ain't no walk in the park.
Dante was a Catholic purest. He hated the Church of his time. He condemns the Church for abandoning the teachings of Christ while profiting from people's fear and stupidity.
Dante is clearly against corporate religion and franchising religious outlets. He sees the church as Mammon personified and fully realized - look it up.
I think Dante saw the Pope as Satan on Earth.
Dante clearly loved the Catholic theologians and saints - per Dante, Francis, Benedict and Augustine represent Catholicism as it should be practiced and understood.
"Paradiso" brought back lots of memories of Catholic school for me - more so than "Inferno" or "Purgatorio".
All the mysteries of Catholicism were presented in "Paradiso" and all were basically clarified and answered as they were in Catholic school - it's a mystery only God understands - shut up and accept.
I admit I'm being harsh, but hey, what's the big deal here? Dante wrote a book only religious scholars and historians can even begin to understand - and even they don't agree.
If you're into endless philosophical debate and academic controversy, Dante is your man.
It's worth noting Dante starts his journey with Virgil as his guide and ends up with Beatrice taking him into Paradise.
Don't get me started on Beatrice. Dante clearly indulges his fetishes when it comes to Virgil and Beatrice.
I have no idea who Dante was. Was "The Divine Comedy" the equivalent of today's tabloids? Did Dante write a tell all poem? Was it even a poem? Was it worth 7 or 8 months of my reading time?
One thing I'm sure of. Dante was not the poster boy for modesty - not then, not now.
How relevant is Dante today? Dante is clearly a meal ticket for a small group of scholars who have devoted what appears to be their lives to promoting him. He is overly verbose. He is no Ogden Nash.
Would I recommend the book? Did it have a catchy rhythm? Could you dance to his verse?
If you want epic story telling replete with moral lessons, I recommend "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings".
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