The Divine Comedy - May not be leftist...

[praxis1966]

I'm in the process of reading Inferno. Just wondering if anyone else was insane as I am, and actually enjoyed the book. Here's my first favorite quote:

E qual e quei che volontieri acquista,
e giugne 'l tempo che perder lo face,
che 'n tutti suoi pensier piange e s'attrista;

Translation:

Even as he who glories while he gains will,
when the time comes to tally loss,
lament with every thought and turn despondent...

[Pete]

I have read some of this poem. It is definitly not leftist, but extremely Theistic. It shows how all those who oppose God are in Hell, and shows the conditions.

I believe that Dante also wrote it while going through a tough time in his left. He was just exiled and is talking of the past (or so it is believed). I enjoyed the River Styx, but I am not done yet.

[praxis1966]

You could make the argument that it is extremely theistic and Medieval, but at the same time you must consider the narrator's attitude towards the damned. I only just started Canto VI, but in Canto IV and V, Dante expresses sympathy for the damned. This attitude is especially prevalent when he discusses the great thinkers of ancient Greco-Roman culture.

I don't know. My attitude towards the books may change once I get to Paradiso, but it seems that Dante feels that these souls are unjustly condemned. If I'm not mistaken, Dante was at some point declared a heretic by the Vatican. Maybe this was why.

[Pete]

He feels sympathy for the damned, but virgil reminds him that there is nothing that may done, so because of the Dante moves deeper into hell. The book is saying 'if you are not Christian, we may pity you, but you are still damned.' He aslo does feel pity for the denizens of Dis.

[praxis1966]

I dunno. Maybe I've seen the movie Seven one two many times, but I still think it's a pretty good book. Maybe Inferno in particular interests me because I seem to have this strange fascination with damnation and the dark side of human nature. Wierd, huh?