Earlier this year, I wrote a five-part series on Dante’s Inferno entitled “Blogging through Hell”, a collection that grew out of teaching the great work this spring. Along with those articles, which served as outlets for some thoughts that incessantly swirled around my head while teaching, I want to provide a bit of practical help […]
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After a first round full of mind-blowing upsets it’s time for a loaded second round
Virtuous Pagans Awakened from his first swoon by a “monstrous clap of thunder,” Dante finds that they have crossed Acheron and are now positioned “on the very brink of the valley called the Dolorous Abyss, the desolate chasm where rolls the thunder of Hell’s eternal cry” (Canto IV.7-9). Yet, as they descend into the first
Rod Dreher has been following a reflection by Tony Woodlief over HERE: The article by Tony and the comments by Rod were so provocative (in the good sense) that I got carried away and wrote what became too long a comment. Here’s what I wrote, but I have to urge you to read the original
The Good of Intellect Dante’s voyage into hell formally begins in Canto III as his guide, Virgil, reach the entry gate. Above the gate, carved in stone, is the foreboding inscription: “I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE. I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE. I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW.
Stars & Resurrection “This fell at the first widening of the dawn as the sun was climbing Aries with those stars that rode with him to light the new creation.” (Canto I.37-39) We know so little of stars now. Drowned by the wrong kinds of light, we seldom glimpse them, let alone enjoy them. When
Recently, I began teaching The Inferno, the first and best known part of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, for the first time in several years. Sadly, I had forgotten much of its beauty and power. To ensure that my current encounter sticks a bit longer, I have decided to blog my way through hell, drawing attention
Rod Dreher is a senior editor and blogger at The American Conservative. He has written and edited for the New York Post, The Dallas Morning News, National Review, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Washington Times, and the Baton Rouge Advocate. Rod’s commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, the Weekly Standard, Beliefnet,
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