Dante's Inferno: You aren't in Hell when you're reading it

I'll start right off the bat: John Ciardi's translation of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy is an outstanding one. As a sucker for classic literature, I first picked this up in high school, though sadly it was not this edition. The depth of information in the introduction and notes can be overwhelming, but don't be discouraged. If you've never read Dante but have always wanted to, (or even if you've never thought about reading Dante or never wanted to) this is the edition for you.

The Divine Comedy is literally a guided tour of Hell, Purgatory and
Heaven. Ooooh, look at the feet sticking out of the ground!

This was the edition I had first--not bad for a first-time read,
but it could've  used more explanation. I enjoyed the drawings,
though. (Image from Google Books)

It's mostly the poetry and  side comments, but helpful maps like these are also found to give a visual description of what the scene is about. These are few and far between, so don't rely on them as a source of information; rather, use them as a guide along with your imagination.


For those of you who have no idea what the Divine Comedy is all about, (i.e., those of you who live under a rock--but it's ok! We're moving on, we're moving on.) it tells the story of the spiritual awakening of Dante as a middle-aged man who has lost his way in the corruptions of man. His three books cover his journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise (each place is covered in one book). His guide, Virgil, shows him the way through Hell and Purgatory where he is then replaced by Beatrice, Dante's long-time love. (One of those poetic loves medieval guys like Plutarch used to write about, you know, the ones who have radiant eyes like the sun and pure white skin and who never say one word to the tortured poet.)

So far, I've found that the Inferno is my favorite of the trilogy. I've read it probably five or six times, and it has never gotten old for me. The brilliant description and ingenious methods of torture Dante uses to inflict on the sinners of his choice make for a rather exciting read. And you're talking to someone who doesn't usually enjoy reading poetry. I also rather enjoy his criticisms of the Catholic Church and its corrupt ways, but that's probably some bias about Catholics kicking in. Plus I like judging people, and that is EXACTLY what Dante is doing in his first book.

In all fairness, there is a lot about Dante's structure and ideas that makes sense to me. As someone who is obsessed with structure and putting things in their proper place, Dante speaks (literally) volumes to me. He kind of takes it to an OCD level, but he had a lot to write about in the 1300s so, I can forgive him for it.

John Ciardi, the translator, has taken great pains to ensure the reader can follow Dante and his every step on his journey. Introductions, reinforcements and explanations of symbols and themes, notes, maps and afterwords all help contribute to a sense of totality about this book.

An extremely helpful map that that gives you an idea of what Dante had in
mind for Hell's structure. Yaaay pits of despair!

A nice little summary of what to expect in the canto, along
with brief explanations of important symbols. More detail
is given after the canto concludes.

I hope this encourages some of you to try Dante, either for the first time, or as a second (or third, or fourth) effort. I firmly believe having the right edition makes a huge difference, and Ciardi's translation does the trick. It's a dense read and will take a while to get through, but coming out with an understanding of the total structure of Dante's universe and the way he sees things is definitely worth it.

Coming soon: As of right now, I'm about a quarter way through Purgatorio (for the second time). When I'm finished, I'll review it and post it on here.