Review: "The Inferno"

“The Inferno,” an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri in the fourteenth century, is one third, and the most read, of the so called Divine Comedy. At a glance, it seems to be an allegory detailing the various symbolic punishments in hell; upon further inspection, it seems to be a fanfiction where Dante gets to chat with his favorite historical figures and watch his enemies, namely Greeks, burn in hell. The story begins when the approximately thirty-five year old Dante is blocked from climbing a mountain, representing heaven, by a lion, leopard, and a wolf. He then stumbles upon Virgil, the poet of the Aeneid, and accepts him as his tour guide through hell. Hell itself is separated into several layers, each representing a different sin, and each possessing punishments of varying degrees of pain, ranging from being buffeted by wind to being boiled past death in a tar pit. Along the way, he meets many people knew he knew but did not really know, and is incessantly confronted by the guardians of hell for possessing the abnormality of still being alive. After touring around all the circles of hell and meeting Lucifer, he and Virgil arrive on a mountain which is supposedly directly across from Jerusalem, supposedly the only landmass in the south hemisphere. The scene is then set for the next addition of the holy trilogy, “Purgatorio.”

“The Inferno,” along with the rest of the “Divine Comedy,” has since shaped the world of literature, religion, and philosophy greatly. It has been translated into English so many times that there is a Wikipedia article labeled “English Translations of Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Seeing how this book has managed to remain ever so topical to this day, having influenced many poets and artists. The book is constantly reminding us of its existence in the form of popular media, like the recently released movie “Inferno” and its corresponding book by Dan Brown, one can tell that, without reading the book, it must be of some quality. Though the writing mannerisms may be quite an eyesore, the words are crafted in a fashion not as prolific nor as appreciated nowadays. However, one can never appreciate the true quality of the book without reading it, and let it be assured: it will not be a waste of your time.

Jeffrey ‘17