Paradiso Summary / Study Guide

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Paradiso | Introduction

“Paradiso” appears in Kenneth Koch’s final collection of new poems, A Possible World (New York, 2002), published a few months after his death. This poem examines an individual who initially revels in an illusion of happiness and then chastises himself for not grasping the opportunity for the real happiness that lies before him. While one may read this poem apart from the book that includes it, the best possible understanding comes from knowing something about the entire collection, as well as knowing something about Koch’s personal life. Koch’s time spent in various countries—including Italy, where he married his first wife—plays an important role in A Possible World. It may even be the impetus for the title of this poem, which shares its name with an older work of the same name, written in the fourteenth century by Italian classical poet Dante Alighieri. It is also likely that Koch’s personal life— especially the love he felt for each of his wives— is what helps his speaker make the leap from disillusionment to possible happiness once he understands the true meaning of paradise.

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