INFERNO CANTO 10 explained

[@tomlabooks3263]

As a great initiative of the Department of Italian Studies and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU together with the Dante Society of America, the KZbin channel "Canto per Canto" offers comments on each Canto by various specialists. Link here: kzbin.info/door/vLd1MEd5Qv2LQ7LIR7Khmwfeatured Two other channels that talk about the Divine Comedy in depth are: 1) Tim McGee at kzbin.info/door/nauxpUUfbSUEF-_if72xIQ 2) Mark Vernon at kzbin.info

[@curioushmm9027]

thanks to you tom i'm enjoying it more everyday.

[@re4072]

I can really tell how much passion you have for Literature and the Comedy. Its infectious and brings life into an otherwise difficult to penetrate work for me. Thank you!

[@tomlabooks3263]

Thanks so much! So glad you’re enjoying the Divine Comedy. 👍🏻

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I was very glad to have your explanation for this canto as I found it less accessible and appealing than others, but now I get the to and fro of the conversations better. I think there is less of the imagery I so enjoy. The torso and head sticking out of the ground and speaking made me think of a Beckett play.

[@TootightLautrec]

I've never read nor seen Beckett's Endgame, and only know about the characters in garbage cans it from peripheral things. If you haven't done it already, I'd love to hear you and Tilly talk about it one day.

[@tomlabooks3263]

Thanks Ros I’ll need to check out Endgame or another Beckett play.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

@@tomlabooks3263 I have no doubt Beckett will have known the Divine Comedy. I was thinking of End Game but even more of Happy Days, not necessarily thematically but that Beckett may have been influenced by the striking visual image of a torso and then a head sticking out of the ground.

[@tomlabooks3263]

@@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 Thank you, I want to learn about Beckett. I found some good videos on his works as well.

[@cocoaswann2095]

Good review/commentary. "Fun" fact about Farinata - in 1260 war, he was the chief Florentine traitor who colluded with the Sienese Ghibellines. He only used the "I defended Florence" line because his allies from Siena wanted to burn Florence to the ground (and that would have curtailed his plans to rule Florence). Not sure if you've seen the lecture from Wondrium/Great Courses Plus yet, but I highly recommend it. Thanks for the links to the other Dante fans on youtube.

[@tomlabooks3263]

Thank you! That is a very interesting detail, and I haven't seen that lecture yet, I will make sure to watch it.

[@thefont4345]

Good Lord! This is great! I absolutely have to do a re-read. Thank you so much 🤓

[@tomlabooks3263]

Ahh thanks Barb for passing by! Inspiring people to pick it up again (or sometimes for the first time) gives me real joy. And personally, every time I reread any of the 100 cantos, I find or understand something new! Ciao from L.A.

[@attention5638]

I have never read "Vita Nova" and though I knew Dante had more work outside The Divine Comedy, I didn't know they were full works like this. I will have to look for this one. I do like the connection with Lennon and McCartney--that makes perfect sense to me haha The more I learn about the history behind these Cantos, the more I believe Dante wrote the Divine comedy to show off how well read he was for his time--I am going to have to reread this one tonight, two or three times.

[@tomlabooks3263]

Haha I’m sure in part you’re right about Dante. He was a walking encyclopedia after all. Hope you’re having a good week.

[@HeyYallListenUp]

Thanks for the background info on Farinata and Guido.

[@tomlabooks3263]

Thanks for watching John, have a good week 👍🏻

[@hesterdunlop7948]

I enjoyed this Canto . To me Dante almost sounds like a politician of the people here , he's explaining to his reading audience in common everyday language and manners , how some specific people he had disagreement with ended up ....and guess what , Dante is coming out the more virtuous ...he's backed the right Greek philosopher ( Virgil ) from the newly emerging classics but tethering himself to the paradigm of contemporary theology ..

[@tomlabooks3263]

I agree - I’m constantly amazed at how many things he manages to do and to say at the same time. He’s putting himself in the best spot, of course, but further on he does become very critical about himself and his own sins and weaknesses. Thanks Hester !

[@knittingbooksetc.2810]

Roman...

[@NicholasOfAutrecourt]

Thanks for the shoutout, Tom! I think I mentioned it, but since it's also related to Dante, I wanted to tell you about Auerbach's other (mercifully much short) book on him called "Dante, Poet of the Secular World". It's recently been reprinted by NYRB, and you can find the link here: www.nyrb.com/products/dante?_pos=1&_sid=0c7662a71&_ss=r&variant=1094929433 I admittedly haven't read this one (or maybe haven't read it in a long time), so recently re-ordered a copy when they had their December sale. Keep your eyes peeled for their intermittent sales if you're interested in and don't want to pay full price - and as always, let me know if you get anything out of it!

[@tomlabooks3263]

Wonderful, thanks John. Auerbach goes into such a level of microscopic analysis ... but macro as well. A joy to read.

[@katiapadilla529]

Thank you so much for your excellent review. I'm actually studying Italian and part of the program is to read the Divine comedy. Today we are reading Canto X so this review is definitely going to help me!! Grazie mille!❤📖🙏

[@tomlabooks3263]

That’s great, I’m so glad you found it useful. I keep uploading new ones, next one is Canto 18 tomorrow, so if you want, subscribe! 😀

[@katiapadilla529]

@@tomlabooks3263 oh I definitely did since I found your channel! I bought Mimesis too! Today we are reading canto XII and XIII of inferno. 🧯🧯🧯

[@tomlabooks3263]

@@katiapadilla529 That’s great - I hope you enjoy Mimesis, it’s a treasure chest of literary ideas.

[@knittingbooksetc.2810]

My version says: “We passed along a narrow, hidden track”

[@tomlabooks3263]

That’s interesting. It’s a good way to capture both meanings! Who’s the translator?

[@knittingbooksetc.2810]

@@tomlabooks3263 J. G. Nichols, it has the original text facing the translation and lots of notes and introductions to each canto. I’m enjoying it a lot.

[@tomlabooks3263]

@@knittingbooksetc.2810 That’s a translation I’m not familiar with! I tend to collect them all so I’ll check it out 😀

[@tomlabooks3263]

@UCsUr8yiR-I2sWvxyXWhA0jQ Thanks. Looks like a great edition.

[@TootightLautrec]

I had some trouble with this canto. Somehow, the insertion of historical figures deadened its impact for me. While the concept of heresy is clear and the contrapasso just, I found the heretics themselves not as compelling because they were so specific to Dante and not portrayed in a way that made them universally resonant. Perhaps it's just me. I also am struggling with the very idea of Beatrice. It seems almost heretical to elevate her to such high holiness along with the virgin Mary. In the back of my mind I always feel like Dante's love for her is more based in thwarted lust. Perhaps I just need to take a nap and re-read some of it. The Auerbach books looks good. I'll have to look into it. Also, I have been meaning to look into Guido Cavalcanti's work, and this canto renewed that.

[@tomlabooks3263]

Thanks for your comments - I see what you’re saying in terms of the (lesser) universality of these characters. For Dante they were even more important than what it seems, because they were part of Guido’s family. Guido died only a few months after being sent away from Florence by the current “group in power”, that included Dante as well. So he must have had a strong sense of guilt. As for Beatrice, she will remain the eternal mystery, but we’ll have the chance to go back to her so many times in the next cantos. By the way, I want to start reading Shakespeare, prob. the second part of the year, so I’m glad there’s already a wealth of videos on your channel that I will follow.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I am glad you said that as this canto did not fly for me either when I read it initially. Tom's account has helped somewhat.

[@TootightLautrec]

@@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 I thought I was just being a lunk-head, so I'm very happy to hear I wasn't the only one who felt mildly cheated of the full glory of Dante. It's so helpful to have Tom bringing in context and explanations, and also to read other people's comments. I get way more out of it than if I had read it alone.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

@@TootightLautrec you a lunk head? 🤣

[@tomlabooks3263]

@@TootightLautrec Haha never heard that expression but I’m sure going to use it now