Friday, September 10, 2010

Book Review - Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Rating: 8/10


Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. Made up of 34 cantos, it tells the story of a man named Dante who found himself in a dark wood. Unable to find his way out because of three beasts who blocked his way, Virgil, sent by Beatrice, comes to his rescue. The poet tells him that they must go through hell in order for Dante to return to earth.

I didn't exactly enjoy reading it because of, well, the language. It's pretty hard to understand and without the translator's notes and other guides, I may not have understood two-thirds of what I read. While the punishments were gruesome, they don't register in my mind that quickly. Again, the language. It's really, really hard to understand (harder than Charles Dickens). Plus the fact that it's allegorical makes it more difficult. :P

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