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So, before anyone starts getting any funny ideas, this is not a comedy story. Yes, right, I had the same thought of surprise too. So, why the name then, you must be thinking. Well, to put this simply, in earlier times, there were only two genres in English literature, which were Comedy and tragedy.
It meant either a story has a good and happy ending, which came under comedy, or has a sad ending, which was Tragedy. So, you might have figured, you are in for a happy ending, yes sure, but the journey, well let's just say the journey isn't a comedy in Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Introduction
Book’s Name - Divine comedy
Author’s Name - Dante Alighieri
Genre - Epic Poem, Allegories, Love story, Sin, Redemption
Language - Italian, English
Synopsis: Non-Spoiler Alert
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dante himself is the protagonist who journeys through hell in order to find heaven. He must journey through the inferno, climb the mountain of purgatory, and then ascend to heaven after crossing the nine realms.
And in this poem, he vividly explains what hell and the afterlife is, what happens in various parts of this journey as he descends deeper and deeper into Hell’s abyss.
He goes through nine realms, where he sees distinct punishment for each realm which depicts almost bleak and violent imagery. His journey majorly includes traveling the circles of lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud, and the most vicious treachery where sinners are kept directly under the eyes of Satan.
But it is also a love story as we see it is Dante’s love that launches his intrepid journey into the pits of hell and leads him and his soul into the allegorical imagining of the soul’s journey towards god.
About the Author
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher who was born in 1265 and claimed his descendancy from ancient Romans. A soldier and statesman from Florence, Dante was staunchly faithful to God but critical of the Roman Catholic church which led to his exile.
His work drew inspiration for Chaucer, Milton, and Alfred Tennyson and he is considered the father of Italian literature. He died in 1321 of quartan malaria and was buried in Ravenna.
About the Book
Dante’s Divine Comedy is a three-part poem that consists of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso which was compiled and written over 10 years. Written in the 14th century, the divine comedy is an allegorical journey of the soul towards god.
The Divine Comedy is a long Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of the western canon.
The work was originally simply titled Comedìa so also in the first printed edition, published in 1472), Tuscan for "Comedy", later adjusted to the modern Italian Commedia. The adjective Divina was added by Giovanni Boccaccio, due to its subject matter and lofty style.
The book was written in Italian rather than Latin, which was the language of the elite and educated, Dante ensured the widest possible audience for his biting political commentary.
Theme Involved
Dante’s Divine Comedy is a good depiction of sins, hell, and the afterlife, but is also related to the presence of that time. It is a witty, scathing commentary on Italian politics.
Dante used to criticize the Roman Catholic church and disliked its rampant nepotism and practice of simony, the buying, and selling of religious favors such as pardon from the sins.
Many groups supported this such as Black Guelphs, who wished to extend Pope’s influence in politics, while Dante was a member of White Guelphs who felt Florence needed more freedom from this.
As he spoke against Black Guelphs, he was exiled from Florence which only provoked his greatest critique and literature of all time.
The Bottom Line
Dante’s Divine Comedy is one of his greatest translated works. It takes you on the journey, and the three parts poem gives a great depiction of sins, religion, love, and god.
You definitely wanna read this masterpiece and actually enjoy the feeling of what it's like to read classic literature in its truest sense. For what it's worth, Florence ended the exile of Dante in 2008, thus marking the return of the prodigal son coming home.
My ratings for the book - 5 on 5
You can get a copy of this book - Divine Comedy
Written By - Ashish Joshi
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