Dante (1265-1321), a famous Italian poet, enjoys the same reputation as Homer and Shakespeare in the history of Western literature. His masterpiece "The Divine Comedy", which took him more than ten years to complete, represents the greatest achievement of medieval literature.
"The Divine Comedy" adopts the form of fantasy literature popular in the Middle Ages, and describes a story about a fantasy journey to the three realms of hell, purgatory and heaven. There are three volumes of poems, namely "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Paradise", with thirty-three chapters in each volume, and a total of one hundred chapters including the preface. The poet described how he lost his way in a dark forest in the early morning before Easter in 1300. Leopards, lions and wolves, which symbolized lust, power and greed, blocked the way. At the critical moment, the ancient Roman poet Virgil appeared. He was entrusted by the woman Dante loved in his youth, Bidelice, to come to his aid. Virgil guided Dante through hell, which punishes sinful souls, and through purgatory, which accommodates repentant souls. Finally, Bidelice guided him through the nine heavens that constitute heaven, and finally reached God. At this moment Dante realized that his thoughts were in perfect harmony with God's thoughts, and the whole poem came to an abrupt end.
When Dante traveled through hell and purgatory, many of the souls he met were famous figures in history or at that time. The lines of the poem are full of meaning and have strong theological and religious overtones.
Reader comments
A great work with a majestic and vast spiritual thought... Although the historical eras, cultural backgrounds, and races are very different, the light of thought (humanistic care, moral goodness) it reflects still resonates and coexists... Finally, it suddenly dawned: Ba Jin's persistence in "The Divine Comedy".
The Divine Comedy is grand in scale, with clear themes, rich imagination, and numerous, lifelike characters.
One of the pinnacle works of mankind, a great work!
Come back later when I'm smarter
"Keep your silence and listen to the passage of time!"
"The Divine Comedy" is like a fantasy adventure. I particularly liked Dante's experiences in hell and purgatory, as well as the historical figures he met. Virgil is a really great guide! The moral and religious overtones of the book also interested me. It feels like following Dante on a spiritual journey.
It's a quick tour, the narrative perspective is good, it's like reading a novel
It's a very in-depth work. Unfortunately, I don't have enough cultural background to understand this book.
I can't understand it at all, that era was too long ago! And it's European history and culture
Not averagely good
I won't say those disgusting words. I feel that it is good and master-level. This is a world-class work. I worship it.
A great work with a majestic and vast spiritual thought... Although the historical eras, cultural backgrounds, and races are very different, the light of thought (humanistic care, moral goodness) it reflects still resonates and coexists... Finally, it suddenly dawned: Ba Jin's persistence in "The Divine Comedy".
The Divine Comedy is grand in scale, with clear themes, rich imagination, and numerous, lifelike characters.
One of the pinnacle works of mankind, a great work!
Come back later when I'm smarter
"Keep your silence and listen to the passage of time!"
"The Divine Comedy" is like a fantasy adventure. I particularly liked Dante's experiences in hell and purgatory, as well as the historical figures he met. Virgil is a really great guide! The moral and religious overtones of the book also interested me. It feels like following Dante on a spiritual journey.
It's a quick tour, the narrative perspective is good, it's like reading a novel
It's a very in-depth work. Unfortunately, I don't have enough cultural background to understand this book.
I can't understand it at all, that era was too long ago! And it's European history and culture
Not averagely good I won't say those disgusting words. I feel that it is good and master-level. This is a world-class work. I worship it.