/lit/ - Literature

>>15495817
the bible?

>>15495817
Just get a good edition with footnotes

>>15495820
I know the New Testament quite well. Old not as much.

>>15495817
Paradise Lost?

>>15495843
Paradise lost came out after the divine comedy, if anything I'd assume you need to read the divine comedy before you read paradise lost when it comes to bible fan fics.

I think I read somewhere that Dante got inspiration from the Prophet's story of his night journey to the 7 heavens, any truth in this? What was the Jewish and Christian cosmology before Islam?

>>15495817
The Bible obviously, and the more central Greek and Roman figures. Knowledge of Christianity up until Dante's time and some specifics of when he lived also help.

I'm sure there are annotated versions that will tell you most of this stuff.

>>15495869
Ah okay.

>>15495817
You need to be well-versed in 14th century Florentine politics.

>>15495817
Just read it and enjoy it.

You’ll get the most out of it if you understand the pneuma-phantasmatic process that’s part of medieval science (which is underpinned by scholasticism)

>>15496033
Thanks, anon.

>>15495817
The footnotes on worldofdante.org have everything you need to know. If a footnote seems insufficient just Google the subject.

Man was created to know and love God in this life. He is rewarded with Heaven or punished with Hell depending on how well he does that. Purgatory is for those who die in a state of grace and have the stain of venial sin on their soul; there, they are purified of venial sin so that they can be perfect before entering heaven.

Dante is just trying to tell you what those places are like to aid you on the path to perfection. That's basically all the book is about... so I wouldn't worry too much about the references.

>>15495825
any suggestions? Specifically one with good footnotes

>>15495817
I'm not well read and I also could not get into a copy of Paradiso i picked up at value village thinking reading about a paradise sounded comfy.

When I read a book I tend to want to avoid footnotes (as suggested >>15495825)
or introductions. If an intro is longer than 4 pages I don't read it. This is just me and like I said I'm not well read. Maybe my aversion to doing extra work for reading is why I don't enjoy many of "the greats" of literature.

I watched the animated (netflix I think) adaptation of the divine comedy. Had no idea it was about a guy trying to save his gf.

In my opinion if you are looking to get enjoyment out of reading(and if you aren't you'd better have good reason) you don't grab many hundred year old tomes of epic grandeur until much preparation and you are looking for a challenge. I have gotten more from a simple book of american poetry than I did out of all my other 1000 year old books combined.

I tend to buy revered literature thinking they are a shortcut to the pinnacles of humanity. I am always disappointed because grand literature is a taste, a refinement of flavor. There are much more accessible writings that do more for me. It turns out the literary landscape is more broad than it is tall and the greats are just buoys in the water. IN MY OPINION.

TLDR: Skip the divine comedy. (for now)

>>15497371
>I watched the animated (netflix I think) adaptation of the divine comedy. Had no idea it was about a guy trying to save his gf.
And that's Dante's fault how?

>>15497499
If it wasn't obvious my post was nothing to take away from dante.

>>15497135

Not the poster, but:
Latin translation is super annoying to read if you are inexperienced. Try finding one with a side-by-side plain English summaries on the opposite pages. Barring that, read a plain english version canto by canto until you get the hang of it.
https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/alighieri-the-divine-comedy-vol-1-inferno-english-trans
It feels elementary, but honestly, with this stuff, really rewarding to walk before you run

You need to be Catholic to understand The Divine Comedy.

>>15495817
A Beginner’s Guide to Dante’s Divine Comedy - Jason M. Baxter

https://b-ok.cc/book/3700905/5f8d8b

https://davelafferty.com/home/home/2008/06/18/a-beginners-guide-to-dante/

At minimum: You grow up catholic. You have started with the greeks and proceeded with the romans. You can read Italian.

Dante: A Very Short Introduction

>>15495817
You should have some cursory knowledge of Catholocism and classical culture (especially Virgil's Aneid) at the very least.

>>15495817
I’d just pick up a copy and go for it, and return to it again and again as you read more outside of it and get a greater sense of how Dante responds and departs from everything before him. Homer, Virgil and the Bible are obviously all massive influences, and massive texts to get your head around, but you could spend years delaying trying to get enough background knowledge. I can remember reading the inferno and not knowing half of what was going on, but that ignorance breeds it’s own deep impressions.