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
- Inferno – Shmoop, Sparknotes, Cliff Notes
- Purgatorio – Shmoop
- Paradiso – Shmoop
What an intriguing idea for Lent: beats the idea I had during church yesterday of giving up bread.
I just bought your recommended edition, Ben, and I plan to catch up with the reading quide tonight.