The Inferno

Inferno by Dante Alighieri is a famous classic novel, yet I don't know of a single person who has read it. This was one of the driving factors behind why I chose to read it. What makes it a classic? Why have so few people read it. Why does it receive a shocked “DANTE'S INFERNO!?!” whenever I mentioned I was reading it. What is the stigma behind this book?

Lets start with a brief summary. The Inferno (also known as the Divine Comedy) was written by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century AD/ACE. Italy was exiting the Middle Ages and would soon be entering the famous Renaissance period. Christianity was on the rise, as was a desire to understand the word of God and Christ. Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, writes his most famous work: The Divine Comedy/Inferno (I'll be calling it Inferno from this point forward).

Inferno features Dante's imaginative journey into hell. He is guided by Virgil, an ancient Roman poet famous for his epic poem, Aeneid. Together they pass through the 9 circles of hell.

1. Limbo
2. Lust
3. Gluttony
4. Greed
5. Anger
6. Heresy
7. Violence
8. Fraud
9. Treachery

Along the journey Dante meets the famous heroes of the Trojan War, Greeks, Romans, popes, kings, queens, townsfolk. At every level, Dante's character speaks with a different soul. His character learns why the soul is trapped in hell and what pain they are suffering in the afterlife. It is clearly meant to highlight “if you do this in life, then that will be your punishment in the afterlife.”

Inferno is product of its time and needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It is not a literal account of a journey through hell. It is Dante's imagination of Hell. He uses it to demonstrate how a person's actions in life will affect their time in the afterlife, and how those actions will impact a soul'd journey towards God.

Aside from it's age, one of the greatest challenges readers will face with Inferno is the abundance of names. Dante references well over 100 people in his journey through hell. Some are famous names (such as Achilles, Homer, Brutus and Judas) whom modern audiences would recognize. A larger percentage are names that have been lost to modern audiences. They include famous poets, authors, kings, popes, and priests from the 14th century and earlier. Dante does a decent job summarizing his references and why they are in hell. The names often accompany the souls he meets. Those souls then tell Dante their story, thus explaining who they are. Other names are mentioned quickly without reference. From the book's notes, these are characters the audience would have recognized as famous people from their time period. These moments are where the notes and references in the Inferno come in to play.

This edition of Inferno does an excellent job breaking down the Cantos (think of them as small chapters) for modern audiences. At the start of each Canto, the author provides a summary of the entire passage. It it followed by the lines of the poem, and ends with notes to help the reader further understand the poem. I found this incredibly helpful during reading. I mostly chose to read the poem and skip the summary and notes, however, when I had trouble, I was thrilled to have the summary and references there for assistance.

In conclusion, I'm still unclear why this book is met with such shock. Perhaps it's because of it's religious connotation and connection to early christian beliefs. Perhaps it's because it focuses on a descent into hell (considered a dark subject by many). Perhaps it's the age of the book. Frankly, I don't think I will ever understand. I found this book to be a fascinating look into early christian beliefs. I'm happy I decided to purchase it and I look forward to rereading it in a few years.