Out of his many tortured years in exile, Dante Alighieri created The Divine Comedy, one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time. In Dante in Love, Harriet Rubin follows Dante's path through Italy.
Beyond her discussion of the philosophical foundations and literary influences of Dante's work, Rubin invites the reader to begin the life-long journey through The Divine Comedy--a trek that has already been undertaken by writers and artists like T. S. Eliot, Sigmund Freud, and Primo Levi.
As Rubin explains, "What follows is a tale for those who have dreamed of creating something that seems beyond them. Its purpose is not to save you a lifetime of reading one book, The Divine Comedy, but to start you on the project.
The journey through The Divine Comedy may seem daunting, but the rewards are well-worth the struggle. The goal is to become a writer and poet, with Dante as our guide. He has already made the journey, and he's left behind his guidebook, The Divine Comedy.
As Rubin explains, "What follows is a tale for those who have dreamed of creating something that seems beyond them. Its purpose is not to save you a lifetime of reading one book, The Divine Comedy, but to start you on the project.
The journey through The Divine Comedy may seem daunting, but the rewards are well-worth the struggle. The goal is to become a writer and poet, with Dante as our guide. He has already made the journey, and he's left behind his guidebook, The Divine Comedy.
The Revolution of it All
Originally transcribed around 1320, Dante's famous work is a Christian allegory, first titled La Commedia. The poem is made up of more than 14,000 lines, consisting of three canticles of 33 cantos in each section: "Inferno" ("Hell"), "Purgatorio" ("Purgatory"), and "Paradiso" ("Heaven"). Of course, "Inferno" has 34 cantos, and the total number of cantos for The Divine Comedy is 100. The levels, terraces and zones of Dante's journey track the development of his genius. As Rubin says, "There is nothing else like this in literature: a work of genius that explains how it was created."
As Rubin asks, "What is life but a form of motion and a journey through a foreign world?" In exile, Dante journeyed through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven to discover the meaning of sorrow and joy. Dispensing with the safe distances and boundaries of language, Dante discovers secrets of life, and achieves a Paradise.
As Rubin asks, "What is life but a form of motion and a journey through a foreign world?" In exile, Dante journeyed through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven to discover the meaning of sorrow and joy. Dispensing with the safe distances and boundaries of language, Dante discovers secrets of life, and achieves a Paradise.
Real Love?
Rubin described Dante's vision of love as "one singular and transcendent object of unanswered dedication." From all the legends of Dante, we known that Beatrice was the love of Dante's life, even though she died at a young age and married another man. Dante apparently never even told her of his passionate love for her.
According to Rubin, love becomes the "pivotal point of history and creativity." After Virgil leads Dante through Inferno and Purgatorio, Beatrice introduces him to Paradiso. And, Dante finally "knows, experiences, and understands love." His journey took him beyond language until he could come to terms with "the limitations of the flesh." Only then can he create his most famous work.
Language falls away. As Rubin says, "his words fall behind."
Dante writes: "What then I saw is more than tongue can say. / Our human speech is dark before the vision. The ravished memory swoons and falls away."
Beyond being an excellent, accessible introduction to the world of Dante, the High Middle Ages, and Italian literature, Dante in Love will spark your imagination and start you on your lifelong exploration of The Divine Comedy.
According to Rubin, love becomes the "pivotal point of history and creativity." After Virgil leads Dante through Inferno and Purgatorio, Beatrice introduces him to Paradiso. And, Dante finally "knows, experiences, and understands love." His journey took him beyond language until he could come to terms with "the limitations of the flesh." Only then can he create his most famous work.
Language falls away. As Rubin says, "his words fall behind."
Dante writes: "What then I saw is more than tongue can say. / Our human speech is dark before the vision. The ravished memory swoons and falls away."
Beyond being an excellent, accessible introduction to the world of Dante, the High Middle Ages, and Italian literature, Dante in Love will spark your imagination and start you on your lifelong exploration of The Divine Comedy.
