The Greatest of All Poems: An Introduction to Dante's Divine Comedy

"That is [Dante's] great glory, to be the Christian poet, to have sung with Divine accents those Christian ideals which he so passionately loved in all the splendour of their beauty, feeling them intimately and making them his life." -Pope Benedict XV
For over seven hundred years, the Church has consistently commended to the faithful Dante Alighieri's epic poem, The Divine Comedy. Join Dr. Anthony Esolen for an introduction to this masterpiece of poetry, storytelling, and theology.
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Instructor
Dr. Anthony Esolen is a professor of literature and writer-in-residence at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts. Known for his three-volume verse translation of the Modern Library edition of Dante's Divine Comedy, Professor Esolen has also written verse translations of Tasso's epic poem, Jerusalem Delivered, and of Lucretius' On the Nature of Things. His book-length sacred poem, The Hundredfold: Songs for the Lord, is a series of 100 lyric poems and dramatic monologues interspersed with two dozen of his own beautifully written hymns. Dr. Esolen's other books include The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching, and Real Music: A Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church.
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[@Bernadette613]

I love Dante’s Inferno. I was an English major, and as I was reading this (on my own), I thought how sad to not have this reviewed in a class because I could not access all of its wisdom and beauty on my own. Boy, was I right! This is perfect and exactly what I prayed for. Thank you! And the beautiful Italian ❤️🎶

[@lechkonradpowichrowski3965]

Definitely the most enlightening explanation in a nutshell of Dante's masterpiece. I've been trying painfully to go through its French translation, but I missed a lot. Realize it just now. Thanks also for notes of humour. Highly appreciated.

[@roblucia8800]

Beautiful interpretation of Dante's Divine Comedy.

[@zita-lein]

Loved this!

[@erickelleher3911]

Just what I needed to hear after hearing an unflattering review of it by a goon, thanks 🙏

[@mooks500]

Wait which one?

[@JeremiahAlphonsus]

Anyone who doesn’t love Dante is a complete philistine.

[@Sams911]

Yours not withstanding, how would you rank the top 3 English translations of this work?

[@johnbrantley3055]

This the first time I ever heard of this poem wow I won't to read this .

[@nni9310]

"I want to read this". "Won't" means "will not".

[@almeggs3247]

Awesome thanks

[@andrewweisbrod4506]

33:20 "Dante doesn't waste any time. He's the most terse of poets." Possibly the silliest thing I've heard all week. I was amused .

[@theinfiniteawe]

I mean, this guy literally translated Dante from Italian to English. I think his opinion has some heft to it.

[@andrewweisbrod4506]

@@theinfiniteawe He has apparently also never read a haiku. I don't know Italian, but I know what it is to be terse, and I've read enough Dante to know he isn't.

[@nni9310]

@@andrewweisbrod4506 He does pack a lot of meaning into his words.

[@SperoinDeo]

Prof David Allen White stated there are papal encyclicals written on the Divine Comedy (I haven’t verified this).

[@alfredthemba8899]

What’s the name of the Novel mentioned at around 56:00? I can’t get it all down correctly.

[@declanjoyce3063]

The Bridge on the Drina (Ivo Andric)