The Divine Comedy / Dante Reading

About this event

NOTE: For the safety of the group, members are required to join with their cameras on. Once admitted, they may turn their cameras off. • The link will be posted just before our session. • Once the lesson has started, we will no longer admit any members so we can focus on the lesson without interruptions. 📌 The Divine Comedy is more than a story — it’s a map of the inner self. • It teaches about choices, responsibility, and consequences. • It shows how struggle and self‑reflection can lead to growth and spiritual awakening. • The journey mirrors our own personal transformation — confronting flaws, repenting, and aiming for higher understanding and compassion. *** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (WE ARE CURRENTLY USING THIS SITE) • https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/ • Dante Study Documents: I have shared a folder containing all the copies and materials I have prepared for our Dante sessions. New documents will be added: • regularly.https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YZxvnwlqRM2oKZsqRd36n55p91LSyTKS?usp=share_link 🧍 Who Was Dante? • Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) was a medieval Italian poet from Florence. • He is considered one of the greatest writers in world literature and one of the founders of the Italian language. *** 🔥 What Is The Divine Comedy? • A long epic poem written in terza rima (a special rhyming scheme) in the early 1300s. • It describes a symbolic journey through the afterlife: Hell → Purgatory → Heaven. • 🌍 What the Three Parts Represent 1\. ⚫ Inferno \(Hell\) • Dante travels through the nine circles of Hell guided by the Roman poet Virgil. • Each circle punishes a different kind of sin. • Theme: Recognizing the consequences of wrongdoing and human weaknesses. 2\. 🔺 Purgatorio \(Purgatory\) • Dante and Virgil climb the mountain of Purgatory, where souls purify themselves. • It’s full of hope and change — sinners repent and grow. • Theme: Transformation and self‑improvement. 3\. ☀️ Paradiso \(Heaven\) • Beatrice (Dante’s ideal guide of divine love) leads him through the celestial spheres. • Dante encounters angels and blessed souls. • Theme: Divine love, spiritual fulfillment, and union with God. BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. John Ciardi – (I HAVE PURCHASED THIS ONE). Best for a discussion group because it’s clear, accessible, and includes notes for each canto. Helps participants understand the meaning and context without getting lost in archaic language. 2. Mandelbaum (20th c.) – Modern, poetic, complete. Very readable and preserves the literary quality. Good if the group wants more literary flavor ''after understanding the basics''. 3. Longfellow (1867) – Historically respected, complete, but 19th-century English can be challenging. 📚 Links to the Book (Public Domain) • \*\*\*1, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (WE ARE CURRENTLY USING THIS SITE) • https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/ Full text - Project Gutenberg 📎 The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso – Project Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800 \*\*\*This is another version of Project Gutenberg, but this edition also includes notes and explanations for each canto. https://wyomingcatholic.edu/wp-content/uploads/dante-01-inferno.pdf LECTURES AND INTERESTINS WEBSITES: A. Prof. Teodolinda Barolini is Lorenzo da Ponte Professor of Italian at Columbia University. You can listen to her AMAZING lectures. There are 54 videos and some are more than one hour. I will be listening at least one per week. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/the-dante-course/ B. YALE UNIVERSITY LECTURE BY: GIUSEPPE MAZZOTTA https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD1450DFDA859F694 C. This link has SEVERAL excellent sources: https://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/extratextual-sources-for-studying-the-divine-comedy/ D. Canto - Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEDGsmkxv84&t=4s ***