The Divine Comedy – Introduction and Reading Schedule

May 2, 2015

During the 2015 Lenten and Easter seasons, Ben is hosting a devotional reading of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. We’ll start out with the opening cantos of Inferno on Ash Wednesday, February 18th, and finish up on Pentecost, May 24th, with Dante’s experience of the Beatific Vision at the end of Paradiso. Find out all the info below!

 

Introduction

 

Reading Schedule

Lent

INFERNO
Read by Ash Wednesday 2/18 Inferno I-III Introduction
Inferno IV Circle 1  Limbo
Inferno V Circle 2 The Lustful
Inferno VI Circle 3 The Gluttons
Inferno VII Circle 4&5 The Hoarders and Wasters
Inferno VIII-IX Circle 5 The Wrathful and Sullen
Read by 2/27 Inferno X-XI Circle 6 The Heretics
Inferno XII Circle 7 Round 1 The Violent Against Others
Inferno XIII Circle 7 Round 2 The Violent Against Self
Inferno XIV-XVII Circle 7 Round 3 The Violent Against God
Inferno XVIII Circle 8 Bolgia 1&2 The Seducers and Panderers/The Flatterers
Inferno XIX Circle 8 Bolgia 3 The Simoniacs
Inferno XX Circle 8 Blogia 4 The Fortune Tellers and Diviners
Read by 3/6 Inferno XXI-XXII Circle 8 Bolgia 5 The Grafters
Inferno XXIII Circle 8 Blogia 6 The Hypocrites
Inferno XXIV-XV Circle 8 Bolgia 7 The Thieves
Inferno XXVI-XXVII Circle 8 Bolgia 8 The Evil Counselors
Inferno XXVIII Circle 8 Bolgia 9 The Sowers of Discord
Inferno XXIX-XXX Circle 8 Bolgia 10 The Falsifiers
Inferno XXXI-XXXII Circle 9 Round 1 The Treacherous to Kin
Inferno XXXII-XXXIII Circle 9 Round 2 The Treacherous to Country
Inferno XXXIII Circle 9 Round 3 The Treacherous to Guests and Hosts
Read by 3/13 Inferno XXXIV Circle 9 Round 4 The Treacherous to Lords and Benefactors
PURGATORIO
Purgatorio I-V Ante-Purgatory
Read by 3/20 Purgatorio VI-IX Valley of Rulers
Purgatorio X-XII Terrace 1 Pride
Purgatorio XIII-XV Terrace 2 Envy
Purgatorio XV-XVII Terrace 3 Wratch
Read by 3/27 Purgatorio XVII-XVIII Terrace 4 Sloth
Purgatorio XIX-XXII Terrace 5 Avarice
Purgatorio XXII-XXIV Terrace 6 Gluttony
Read by Good Friday 4/3 Purgatorio XXV-XXVII Terrace 7 Lust

 

Easter

PURGATORIO
Read by 4/12 Purgatorio XXVIII-XXXIII Terrestrial Paradise
PARADISO
Paradiso I-V Moon The Inconstant
Read by 4/19 Paradiso V-VII Mercury The Ambitious
Paradiso VIII-IX Venus The Lovers
Read by 4/26 Paradiso X-XIV Sun The Wise
Paradiso XIV-XVIII Mars The Warriors of Faith
Read by 5/3 Paradiso XVIII-XX Jupter The Just Rulers
Paradiso XXI-XXII Saturn The Contemplatives
Read by 5/17 Paradiso XXII-XXVII Fixed Stars Faith, Hope, and Love
Paradiso XVIII-XXX Angelic Orders
Read by Pentecost 5/24 Paradiso XXX-XXXIII Empyrean The Beatific Vision

 

Recommended Resources

John Ciardi Translation: This is a very readable translation with lots of good notes. It’ll be the one I use and quote from for the series

Danteworlds: If you’re a first timer with Dante, this companion book is a must have. You can read it directly in parallel or simply as a resource if you get lost or want more information on a given section

Artwork: Dante is an incredibly visual writer. I highly recommend taking time to explore some of the artwork his work has inspired. This site is a great place to get started on that. There are also a lot of other good resources on the site

Student Guides: Don’t underestimate the usefulness of student guides. They’re easily accessible and, best of all, free. These are some I recommend

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 comments on “The Divine Comedy – Introduction and Reading Schedule

  1. What an intriguing idea for Lent: beats the idea I had during church yesterday of giving up bread.

  2. I just bought your recommended edition, Ben, and I plan to catch up with the reading quide tonight.

The Sci-Fi Christian © 2024