Dante's "The Inferno"

[stuckinamo]

we're about to start reading Dante's [u]The Inferno[/u] in my English class. It seems a little sketchy to me, from what I've heard of it so far. I know Dante was a Catholic... but what is the Church's take on that book? Does anyone know!?

[franciscanheart]

Sometimes I wonder why I didn't think to ask questions like this while I was in school...

[stuckinamo]

haha.

i protested reading Huck Finn my sophomore year cos there was such mockery of religion in it.

then it came time to write the thesis......haha. here was an actual conversation between my brother (an english teacher who taught sophomore english at my school the year before) and i the nite before it was due:

me: pat, what do you do when you haven't read the book and you have to write a thesis paper on it?
pat: i'm telling you this as your big brother, not an english teacher: go for the 70.


i still ended up getting like an 80 on it. pretty good for only reading 50 pages of the book

[franciscanheart]

*high five*

I refused to watch or read ... goodness... now I can't remember. But it was a book that dealt with witchcraft and the devil and it wasn't historic...



Anyway, props to you for asking and always being mindful to protect your holiness...

[Thy Geekdom Come]

It's an interesting book and he has some insights on how punishment fits the sin, which I like theologically because I belong to the school of thought that says heaven or hell sort of begin in the heart (the righteous have God dwelling in their hearts, so their hearts are "little heavens" in this life; the wicked do not have God dwelling in their hearts, so their hearts are like "little hells") and grow to encompass the whole person when they enter eternal life or eternal damnation.

However, I don't care for the fact that he puts a lot of real life people in hell. That seems highly judgmental to me, especially considering some of them are bishops and popes.

Keep in mind while reading it that his point was far more political (dealing with satire and a unique presentation of just punishment) than theological. He wrote it in Italian in order to get it out to the masses, rather than keeping just the educated elite reading it.

[DAF]

[quote]I belong to the school of thought that says heaven or hell sort of begin in the heart (the righteous have God dwelling in their hearts, so their hearts are "little heavens" in this life; the wicked do not have God dwelling in their hearts, so their hearts are like "little hells") and grow to encompass the whole person when they enter eternal life or eternal damnation.[/quote]

May I inquire as to the other schools of thought?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='DAF' post='1154630' date='Jan 2 2007, 11:46 AM']
May I inquire as to the other schools of thought?
[/quote]
Well, I should probably rephrase...school of thought implies that there are different ways of thinking about it. I would say that there are different aspects which may be emphasized. This is because the other "schools of thought" are also correct; for instance, there are those who see heaven and hell as a just reward or punishment, which is correct. I would say that the difference is that while their view tends to see God as handing down reward or punishment as a necessary conclusion given certain actions during life, the view I hold to tends to show the continuity between one's choices and their eternal destiny, i.e. it's easier to see that a person really sends himself to hell or heaven (however, as one can see, that aspect alone seems Pelagian, since no one can send himself to heaven, but it is a gift from God, so the conclusion must be that it is both ways; they are different facets of the same truth).

[stuckinamo]

thanks!!!!

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

I've wanted to read this just for kicks...

[stuckinamo]

i can't say that i enjoy it all that much. it's quite gruesome...
although, it is scaring me a bit into doing what is more right!
...which i guess is not a good thing

[Socrates]

Stuckinamo, read your [i]Inferno[/i], and read your [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] (even if you have already taken the test on it).

Dante's [i]Divine Comedy[/i] is a classic of world literature, and should be read by every educated person. It is Catholic, and is not heretical, although it should be understood that this work is poetry and religious fiction, and was never intended to be taken as divine revelation or dogmatic teaching, nor as a factual acount of a real tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Dante included factual contemporary and historical figures in his Inferno, as well as many figures from classical mythology (which shows his poem is not to be read literally, but as poetry with moral instruction).

Mark Twain's [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] is likewise a classic of American literature (as well as a darn fun read). I do not see it as being particularly anti-religious, though it does take on hypocrisy sometimes shown by religious people, as well as other human vices. It does have a message of the worth of the human person.

Personally, I get annoyed at those Catholics who seem always looking for something to get offended at in literary works, or who refuse to read anything fictional which might have anything at all in it which is not perfectly in accord with Catholic dogma.

Read your books. Don't grow up ignorant and uneducated!

Edited January 8, 2007 by Socrates

[SRMiller]

[quote name='Socrates' post='1158489' date='Jan 8 2007, 02:56 AM']
Stuckinamo, read your [i]Inferno[/i], and read your [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] (even if you have already taken the test on it).

Dante's [i]Divine Comedy[/i] is a classic of world literature, and should be read by every educated person. It is Catholic, and is not heretical, although it should be understood that this work is poetry and religious fiction, and was never intended to be taken as divine revelation or dogmatic teaching, nor as a factual acount of a real tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Dante included factual contemporary and historical figures in his Inferno, as well as many figures from classical mythology (which shows his poem is not to be read literally, but as poetry with moral instruction).

Mark Twain's [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] is likewise a classic of American literature (as well as a darn fun read). I do not see it as being particularly anti-religious, though it does take on hypocrisy sometimes shown by religious people, as well as other human vices. It does have a message of the worth of the human person.

Personally, I get annoyed at those Catholics who seem always looking for something to get offended at in literary works, or who refuse to read anything fictional which might have anything at all in it which is not perfectly in accord with Catholic dogma.

Read your books. Don't grow up ignorant and uneducated!
[/quote]

I totally agree. I don't believe in not reading something for fear of being offended. I figure I can read it, and then discuss errors in it with people if needed. That's what I did with the Da Vinci Code. I was the only practicing Catholic at work, and one of my co-workers asked me what was true or wrong in the book, so I read it and discussed. It's actually opened a lot of dialogue for me with non-Catholics.

As for Dante, I didn't really like the book as much, but I appreciate it as a piece of literature. Huck Finn, too. Usually I end up reading Shakespeare or Norse saga, though. Or anything by Douglas Adams. Sorry, getting off the topic.

[stuckinamo]

[quote name='Socrates' post='1158489' date='Jan 7 2007, 09:56 PM']
Stuckinamo, read your [i]Inferno[/i], and read your [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] (even if you have already taken the test on it).

Dante's [i]Divine Comedy[/i] is a classic of world literature, and should be read by every educated person. It is Catholic, and is not heretical, although it should be understood that this work is poetry and religious fiction, and was never intended to be taken as divine revelation or dogmatic teaching, nor as a factual acount of a real tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Dante included factual contemporary and historical figures in his Inferno, as well as many figures from classical mythology (which shows his poem is not to be read literally, but as poetry with moral instruction).

Mark Twain's [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i] is likewise a classic of American literature (as well as a darn fun read). I do not see it as being particularly anti-religious, though it does take on hypocrisy sometimes shown by religious people, as well as other human vices. It does have a message of the worth of the human person.

Personally, I get annoyed at those Catholics who seem always looking for something to get offended at in literary works, or who refuse to read anything fictional which might have anything at all in it which is not perfectly in accord with Catholic dogma.

Read your books. Don't grow up ignorant and uneducated!
[/quote]

i wasn't really looking for anything to be offended about...i just don't want my mind tainted more than it already is!!! and i'm neither ignorant nor uneducated i'm actually a really good student. i have a 94% GPA and am 93 in a class of 288... i am reading Inferno. i just spent six hours doing a 7-page paper on it the other day!!!! i actually often take the chance to evangelize in class discussions. i did last year when we read [u]The Scarlet Letter[/u] , too. i just don't particularly care for Dante's Divine Comedy.

Thanks for your input, though! : I do appreciate it!

*edit: i think that [u]The Scarlet Letter[/u] is my favorite book!

Edited January 10, 2007 by stuckinamo

[Tindomiel]

[quote name='stuckinamo' post='1160825' date='Jan 10 2007, 06:11 PM']
i wasn't really looking for anything to be offended about...i just don't want my mind tainted more than it already is!!! and i'm neither ignorant nor uneducated i'm actually a really good student. i have a 94% GPA and am 93 in a class of 288... i am reading Inferno. i just spent six hours doing a 7-page paper on it the other day!!!! i actually often take the chance to evangelize in class discussions. i did last year when we read [u]The Scarlet Letter[/u] , too. i just don't particularly care for Dante's Divine Comedy.

[/quote]
Yeah, stuckinamo's a great student... you should hear my parish priest talk about her senior thesis (about why women can't become priests) ....

That's funny that you don't like Dante though, stuckinamo.... I read it last year, and it's one of my favorite pieces of literature ever! Maybe it made a difference that I read the entire thing instead of just Inferno. That was my least favorite of the three, especially since I kind of disagreed with the way all the pagans were in hell (at least the first circle), even if they had been decent people. But Paradiso is marvellous, and exquisitely written.

[jswranch]

[quote name='stuckinamo' post='1154569' date='Jan 2 2007, 09:44 AM']
we're about to start reading Dante's [u]The Inferno[/u] in my English class. It seems a little sketchy to me, from what I've heard of it so far. I know Dante was a Catholic... but what is the Church's take on that book? Does anyone know!?
[/quote]

Did it have an imprimatur?

I am under the impression Dante's writtings are theological opinion that used to be highly accepted but is now has waned a bit in popularity. Holy Mother Church has never decided to authoritativly accept or reject his ideas.