Dante's "The Inferno"

[Mercy me]

[quote name='jswranch' post='1160982' date='Jan 10 2007, 08:45 PM']
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.
[/quote]

They give an imprimatur for works of fiction?

[cmotherofpirl]

Every catholic should have to read the entire Divine Comedy.
Great works of lierature should be enjoyed by all.

My son had to read the whole thing for lit class so we all read together as a family

tour hell : [url="http://web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/"]http://web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/[/url]

[url="http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/utopia/index2.html"]http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/utopia/index2.html[/url]

[goldenchild17]

This is one of my favorite books ever and don't see anything wrong with it theologically. That's all I can give for a review right now though.

[CeeBee]

I'm not sure on this one. Our local RC primary (4-11 year-olds) school were recently doing a book called 'Northern Lights' by Philip Pullman (v popular in UK, don't know if you will have heard of it in US). It is part of a trilogy called 'His Dark Materials' and depicts all children as having their own personal daemon (his spelling not mine), with a sinister organisation called the magisterium carrying out the worst form of child abuse possible in the books' fantasy world - separating children from their daemons! There are a lot of undercurrents in the book that I and some others felt were extremely anti-Catholic and we managed to persuade the school to stop reading the book with the children in future classes. A slightly different kettle of fish I know (as these were small children and this is a modern novel not a great work of literature etc.) but I am not sure quite where one does draw the line between broadening our understanding and deliberately exposing ourselves to influences that may confuse or corrupt us. Any thoughts?

[stuckinamo]

[quote name='Tindomiel' post='1160907' date='Jan 10 2007, 07:58 PM']
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.
[/quote]

he read it!? and TALKED about it!? hey, at least he didn't excommunicate me!! he's so smart & scholarly, i was afraid to send it to him!

my teacher keeps talking about how good paradiso is. maybe i'll read it.

[avemaria40]

[quote name='SRMiller' post='1158802' date='Jan 8 2007, 06:07 AM']
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.
[/quote]

I absolutely agree with SRMiller and Socrates. My parents have always instilled in me the value of reading and have gone so far to tell me that I can read any book I want, and I mean any book. I read Huckleberry Finn and it was a very good book and I would love to read Dante's Inferno. I say go for it. You have nothing to be afraid of:)

[Tindomiel]

[quote name='jswranch' post='1160982' date='Jan 10 2007, 08:45 PM']
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.
[/quote]
He wasn't really trying to promote any ideas except Catholicism. There were some small aspects of his book which can seem strange now, but not because they go against Catholic doctrine, but because our understanding of certain doctrines has developed considerably since the Middle Ages.

The one potentially harmful criticism that could be made would probably be the one that accuses him of "judging" real people by portraying them as either in heaven, hell, or purgatory. I don't see it that way though. The Divine Comedy is heavily symbolic, and Dante only used (imo) people who blatantly displayed, during their lives on earth, a certain sin or a certain virtue as images of the general sinners in heaven, hell, and purgatory. If that makes sense... I mean, to accuse Dante of thinking that each person was literally where he portrayed them would be like accusing him of thinking that the mythological animals he used to guard his "hell" were real....