The Divine Comedy (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Dante
- First Published: 1320
- Type of Work: Allegorical Poem
- Genres: Poetry, Allegory, Epic, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Sin or Original sin, Adultery, Punishment, Good and evil, Forests or forestry, Hell, Fate or fatalism, Devils or demons, Middle Ages, Saints or sainthood, Treason, Mountains, Animals, dangerous, Heaven, Satan or Satanism, Fourteenth century, Baptism, Easter
- Locales: Hell, Paradise, Purgatory
Dante called his Italian poem a “comedy” because it begins on a low or unhappy note (with the Pilgrim lost in the dark wood of sin) and ends on a high or happy note (with his contemplation of the Godhead).
An editor added “divine” to the title long after Dante’s death, but the epithet has remained because of the work’s lofty subject matter and the esteem in which readers hold the poem.
The author’s stated purpose in composing the 14,233-line epic was to show the “status of souls after death.” He wrote in the vernacular, rather than Latin, so that his work...
[The entire page is 503 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
