The Inferno (Signet Classics)

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It's a hit!

Ever have someone piss you off so badly you just wish you could concoct the worst punishment imaginable for them? Then this book is for you. While ... (show more)

Ever have someone piss you off so badly you just wish you could concoct the worst punishment imaginable for them? Then this book is for you. While traveling through Hell, Dante finds a lot of people he knew in life that had wronged him, and are now being punished for it. Meanwhile, Dante himself is welcomed by Homer, Virgil, and other such writers, who pull a Wayne's World style "we're not worthy" when they see him. Hell is apparently a place where your enemies are tormented and your heroes revere you. A trip through hell has never been so fun! Dante does have one problem though: continuous bouts of fainting. (show less)

 

 

by Luke Marshall

No, it's a flop!

Sure the imagery is imaginative, but who can profess to loving an epic poem wherein there is nothing at stake, no conflict, no tension, and just a ... (show more)

Sure the imagery is imaginative, but who can profess to loving an epic poem wherein there is nothing at stake, no conflict, no tension, and just a series of sequential events that add up to little more than a fleeting sensation in the narrator. It may be significant, but it's also incredibly boring. (show less)

 

 

by Brian A Keating

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  9/09: The foundation of Catholicism's (and many other Christians') idea of hell. Truly, Dante has a twisted imagination. This is certainly where the hopelessness of conducting a good life comes from. Many of the patrons of hell have done nothing wrong. Women and children suffer because they have died before baptism. Many suffer for one single sin. Mythical creatures are found there for challenging the "gods" or placed there to punish other sinners. Vastly interesting and cer... (show more)

  9/09: The foundation of Catholicism's (and many other Christians') idea of hell. Truly, Dante has a twisted imagination. This is certainly where the hopelessness of conducting a good life comes from. Many of the patrons of hell have done nothing wrong. Women and children suffer because they have died before baptism. Many suffer for one single sin. Mythical creatures are found there for challenging the "gods" or placed there to punish other sinners. Vastly interesting and certainly the foundation of much confusion in the modern Catholic catechism. From a literary standpoint, I found the tale flat. It has no plot and the levels of hell do not necessarily get progressively worse. There is no crescendo. Half the tale contains allusions to other literary works of the time that are not timeless and have no meaning in today's society. Dante's words are very egocentric, as many of the sufferers are known personally to the narrator. I think almost any author or director could produce a scarier hell today. But truly an accomplishment for its time. (show less)

   

   

  by Brett Larsen on Sep 24, 2009 at 05:14PM

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  Simply put, Dante's Inferno is quite possibly the most important work of literature I have ever read. His dark tale of a lost man's journey through the depths of the underworld is palpable in its imagery and deeply challenging as an allegory of the human condition. Seldom have I come across a work that has the ability to arrest one's imagination so uncomprimisingly. The unrelenting brutality of the plot unfolds beautifully culminating to a rather ambiguous yet inspiring finale. The moral impl... (show more)

  Simply put, Dante's Inferno is quite possibly the most important work of literature I have ever read. His dark tale of a lost man's journey through the depths of the underworld is palpable in its imagery and deeply challenging as an allegory of the human condition. Seldom have I come across a work that has the ability to arrest one's imagination so uncomprimisingly. The unrelenting brutality of the plot unfolds beautifully culminating to a rather ambiguous yet inspiring finale. The moral implications behind this allegory digs deeply into the nature of the self when pitted against itself, challenging the reader to examine the philosophical meaning of the text and how this meaning fits within constructs of their individual struggles. For this ability--this ability to dissect those moral and philosophical truths in order to reveal our nature in its most tragic and authentic form-- I find this work to be above all exemplary. Apart from this, I also appreciated how the author incorporated real-life historical figures, events, ancient symbolism and Roman myth within the framework of a wildly imaginative narrative. This, in turn, has not only reinvigorated my interest in Roman mythology but Biblical texts as well. For quite some time I've been searching for a work of literature that could serve as a pallette for several other intellectual endeavors and after reading Dante's Inferno I believe I may have discovered that work. I highly recommend it. (show less)

   

   

  by Xavier Best on Aug 27, 2009 at 07:32AM

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