Reviews

One star just because I appreciate this as a piece of western literature, but oh my was that rough to get through. Can't really say I understood anything: just skimmed through it and then turned to my friend Wikipedia. (But honestly, university schedules suck. Who has the time to actually read this brick of a book in a week??)

I have zero interest for religious stuff, so this just wasn't for me. Plus it was sooo hard to understand, the old timey, poetic prose is exhausting to read.

juulisbad's review against another edition

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3.0

I'd say this is a very difficult book. But it is beautifully written and poetic. I liked Inferno most, then Purgatorium and Paradiso was the lamest thing I have ever read in my life. That's why this book only gets three stars from me. Sorry Dante

esthersweet08's review against another edition

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4.0

Es un libro maravilloso y lo he disfrutado muchísimo, para mí el infierno y el purgatorio tendrían un 4 y el paraíso un 3, porque esta última parte es bastante densa y aburrida (lo que ha hecho que me gustase un poco menos el libro).

bruinuclafan's review against another edition

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3.0

Really interesting book but a difficult translation to read. I should have known better since it was the same translator who did the Aeneid.

The boom is about Dante’s tour though the various circles of hell. He is taken on this tour by his guide, Virgil, author of The Aeneid. I enjoyed the parts of he book that tied in with that story, as well as The Odyssey and The Iliad. I thought it was pretty funny that Odysseus ended up in one of the deepest circles of hell: Dante was obviously a Trojan sympathizer.

I’m glad I read it, but also ready to move on to something else. I’ll revisit a different translation in a few years.

die6die's review against another edition

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4.0

RitToC 27 -

Backstory - so I read the Divine Comedy in high school and it blew my young mind. It changed me from a militant atheist to a flakey agnostic, it made me appreciate poetry, it got me interested in medieval philosophy. That said I’ve been hesitant to revisit it in the decades since - would it hold up?

Inferno -

The Inferno continues to be great, most of the ironic punishments are great, the demons saluting with farts still makes me laugh. I like that Dante the character evolves through the story, from empathizing with the damned to anger at them. It’s kind of like listening to funeral doom metal - I feel this kind of despair throughout the whole thing but it’s a good despair. Cathartic, maybe.

Definitely the best of the trilogy.

Purgatorio-

See, when I read this decades ago I really enjoyed this one as well since it’s central theme is hope. There are still ironic punishments but they’re temporary. We actually meet a soul who ascends into heaven.

This time around I wasn’t as into it, especially with the pageant in the Garden of Eden at the top of the mountain. The endless symbolism was frankly rather dull. In retrospect I should’ve taken this as a warning sign of what was to come in Paradiso.

Not as good as Inferno, but still good overall.

Paradiso -

Man oh man. So I thought the theme was joy, but for me the theme was boredom. This whole book was a joyless slog to get through, some cantos took some hardcore skimming to get past.

So in heaven everyone is in a stadium in the shape of a rose watching God, many souls leave to other planets to chat with Dante on Italian politics, theological minutia, and moral philosophizing that is just tedious. 33 cantos in a row of “Well actually Dante...” is kind of the worst.

I think I’ll just stick with Inferno and sometimes Purgatorio. Yikes. I’m wondering now what 17 year old me saw in Paradiso that filled him with wonder. Hmm.

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