Shows / Walking With Dante
Walking With Dante
Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then…
Episodes
- Walking With Dante
They Make Me So Mad That I Could Just Kill My Family: Inferno, Canto XXXII, Lines 40 - 69
We've come to the first subset of the last circle of INFERNO, the pit of hell, an ice sheet that start with Caïna, which holds those who've offed family…
- Walking With Dante
Disembodied Voices In The Pastoral Landscape Of An Ice Sheet: Inferno, Canto XXXII, Lines 16 - 39
We start our trek with the pilgrim Dante and his guide Virgil across the final, ninth circle of hell, an unforgiving ice sheet, where we encounter disembodied…
- Walking With Dante
When Hell Gets So Bad You Despair Of Your Own Craft: Inferno, Canto XXXII, Lines 1 - 15
We've come to the ninth circle of hell. But not quite yet. Dante opens Inferno, Canto XXXII with a metapoetic moment, a passage in which he talks about the…
- Walking With Dante
Welcome To The Foundations Of The Universe: Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 130 - 145
We've walked with Dante the pilgrim and his guide, Virgil, to the very foundations of the universe, the ninth circle of hell, the bottom of all that is.All…
- Walking With Dante
Flattering Your Way To The Center Of The Earth: INFERNO, Canto XXXI, Lines 112 - 129
Dante the pilgrim and Virgil walk on to find Antaeus, the unbound giant who can set them down on the floor of hell--otherwise known as the center of the…
- Walking With Dante
Three Big Bad Giants With Not Much At Stake Except The Nature Of Comedy Itself: Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 82 - 111
We've walked by one giant, Nimrod, a mighty hunter, with his horn (like Roland). But there are more. Three, at least. Ephialtes, Briareus, and Antaeus. Figures…
- Walking With Dante
Nimrod, A Mighty Hunter, A Mighty Problem: INFERNO, Canto XXXI, Lines 46 - 81
Dante the pilgrim thought he saw towers in the gap between the eighth and ninth circles of hell. But no, they were giants. Who were "entowered" in the pit.And…
- Walking With Dante
Towers? No, Giants! No, Towers! Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 28 - 45
Virgil has promised Dante the pilgrim clarity if they press on toward the ring of towers ahead. But then maybe they don't need to, since Virgil explains it all…
- Walking With Dante
The Liminal Space Between The Eighth And Ninth Circles Of Hell: Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 7 - 27
We've come through the ten malebolge or evil pouches of fraud, but we're not to the ninth circle of INFERNO yet. Instead, we're walking with Dante the pilgrim…
- Walking With Dante
Our Farewell To Fraud With A Host Of (Maybe Unanswered) Questions: INFERNO, Cantos XVIII, Line 1, through XXXI, Line 6
Here's our last episode on the giant eighth circle of INFERNO, the largest piece of real estate Dante creates in COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I raise…
- Walking With Dante
An Overview Of Fraud, The Eighth Circle Of INFERNO
We have been at fraud, in the eighth circle of hell, among the malebolge (or evil pouches) and with Dante the pilgrim and Virgil, for almost eighty-seven…
- Walking With Dante
A Review And Overview Of Fraud's Tenth Evil Pouch: Inferno, Canto XXIX, Line 1, through Canto XXXI, Line 6
Eleven episodes! That's how long it took us to get through the tenth and last of the evil pouches (the "malebolge") of fraud, Hell's vast eighth circle.Join…
- Walking With Dante
The End Of Fraud—That Is, The Self In The Self Wishing The Self Were In The Self: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Line 130, through Canto XXXI, Line 6
We've come to the bottom of the circle of fraud and to one of the most complicated, self-aware, and modern similes in all of INFERNO. Is it connected to fraud?…
- Walking With Dante
The Many Pleasures Of Insults: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 104 - 129
We're nearing the bottom of the eighth circle of hell, the fundamentals of fraud--where we're treated to an insult contest between Master Adam and Sinon, the…
- Walking With Dante
The Bottom Of Hell, The Beginnings Of Western Civilization: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 91 - 103
We are almost done with the tenth of the evil pouches (the "malebolge") that make up the giant eighth circle of INFERNO, the vast landscape of hell.We've met…
- Walking With Dante
Behold The New Modern Man, Master Adam: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 46 - 90
First, leprosy. Then rabies. And now dropsy. The medieval hospital of horrors just gets worse in the tenth of the evil pouches (the "malebolge") of fraud.Join…
- Walking With Dante
Watch Out For Those Impersonators: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 34 - 45
We've been to Thebes and Troy. We've seen two rabid souls arrive to tear up old Capocchio and maybe the other alchemist. But who are these rabid…
- Walking With Dante
Contagion, Fraud, And The Fall Of Civilizations: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 33
We've come to the most complex opening of any canto in INFERNO. Canto XXX opens with two, long allusions about the tragedy of Thebes and Troy, both of which…
- Walking With Dante
Gossip About The Fools Of This World Is About As Human As It Gets: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 124 - 139
A second figure speaks up--this time, a leper named Capocchio who wants to gossip about the fools of Siena and find a personal connection with our pilgrim…
- Walking With Dante
Laughter Is The Best Medicine, Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 109 - 123
The first falsifier in the tenth of the evil pouches of fraud (those famed "malebolge") steps up to tell his tale: a funny joke about grifting, the stupidity…
- Walking With Dante
How To Hold Onto Your Humanity, Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 73 - 108
We've come to the final evil pouch (or "malebolge") in the giant, hellish circle of fraud, Dante's largest piece of real estate in all of COMEDY.This last pit…
- Walking With Dante
A Medieval Hospital Of Horrors: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 37 - 72
The pilgrim, Dante, and his guide, Virgil, finally come to the last of the ten evil pouches of fraud (those famed "malebolge")--and wow, it's a doozy!They walk…
- Walking With Dante
You Can Solve Your Family's Vendetta Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 1 - 36
You thought we were done with the ninth pit of fraud and the schismatics? No way! We're still there, no matter if Bertran de Born's appearance felt like an…
- Walking With Dante
Bertran de Born, The Rationale For Inferno, & The Dangers Of Poetry: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 112 - 142
We end the crowded ninth evil pouch of the schismatics with . . . a poet: Bertran de Born. A poet Dante had previously praised. A poet who wrote poetry that is…
- Walking With Dante
Of The Florentine Civil War, The Bloody Aftermath, And Its Child, Rage: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 103 - 111
We've seen so many figures down in the ninth of the evil pouches of fraud, the ninth of the "malebolge" in Dante's INFERNO. And we're about to see more…
- Walking With Dante
Of The Roman Civil War, Idealism, And Its Child, Ambivalence: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 91 - 102
We're down in the crowded pit of the schismatics, the ninth of the evil pouches (or "malebolge") that make up the giant eighth circle of fraud in Dante's…
- Walking With Dante
The Wonder Of Historical Obscurity: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 64 - 90
Muhammad has walked on, but we're not finished with the schismatics and those who make scandal for the faithful. The ninth of the evil pouches (the…
- Walking With Dante
The Most Shocking Line In The Canticle Of Pain: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 46 - 63
We're down among the scandal makers and the schismatics in the ninth of the evil pouches (the "malebolge") that make up the great circle of fraud in Dante's…
- Walking With Dante
Dante, Muhammad, The Comedy, and Islam: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 22 - 45
We've come to the ninth pouch of fraud--and perhaps the most shocking malebolge of them all. Here stands Muhammad mangled in a pit full of those who create…
- Walking With Dante
The Body In Pain Is The Wreckage Of Empire: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 1 - 21
We have come to the ninth pit of the sins of fraud, way down in the eighth circle of Dante's INFERNO. We're about to meet a set of souls--well, bodies, more…
- Walking With Dante
A Comparision And Contrast Between Ulysses And Guido Da Montefeltro: Inferno, Cantos XXVI And XXVII
We've spent a long time in the eighth of the malebolge, the evil pouches that make up the big circle of fraud in Dante's INFERNO. Before we take our leave…
- Walking With Dante
The Demonic Struggle For Guido's Embittered Soul: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 112 - 136
Down in the eighth of the evil pouches (the malebolge) that make up the giant circle of fraud in INFERNO, Guido da Montefeltro has told the (self-justifying)…
- Walking With Dante
Guido da Montefeltro's Take On His Own Life ("I Didn't Do Anything Wrong"): Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 58 - 111
Let's pull apart the first chunk of the speech from Guida da Montefeltro in the eighth of the evil pouches (the malebolge) that make up the giant, eighth…
- Walking With Dante
An Interview And Reading Of Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 58 - 129 With J. Simon Harris And His New Translation Of Inferno
Guido da Montefeltro speaks!And he speaks with the voice of J. Simon Harris, whose new translation of INFERNO has just been published.Join me, Mark Scarbrough…
- Walking With Dante
Tiptoeing Around The Tyrants Of Romagna: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 31 - 57
Guido da Montefeltro is trapped in a tongue of fire in the eighth of the malebolge (evil pouches) that make up the eighth circle of hell, the landscape of…
- Walking With Dante
Beware Of Classical Figures, Modern Politicians, And Maybe Poets: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 1 - 30
Ulysses leaves and a second flame shows up in the eighth of the malebolge, the evil pouches of fraud in Dante's INFERNO. Ulysses may be the great tragic…
- Walking With Dante
The Case For Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
In the last episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, I built a case against Ulysses without using anything but his own words against him. How do we know Ulysses is…
- Walking With Dante
The Case Against Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
In the last episode of this podcast, we took apart Ulysses' speech to discover its poetics and uncover some of its historical roots. Now it's time to turn to…
- Walking With Dante
The Glorious Monologue Of The Damned Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
Finally, Ulysses. We've waited long enough. Here he is in all his glory: a figure out of classical literature, whom Dante couldn't know, whom Dante wants to…
- Walking With Dante
It's All Greek To Dante: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 64 - 84
Virgil has introduced Dante the pilgrim to the twinned souls in the tongue of fire: Ulysses and Diomedes. But there's a problem. Who will talk to them? Who is…
- Walking With Dante
The Fifth Great Sinner Of Hell, Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 49 - 63
We're in the eighth circle of hell, INFERNO's vast landscape of fraud. And we're way down in the eight of the evil pouches (the malebolge) that make up this…
- Walking With Dante
Fireflies, Elijah, And Messy Metaphors: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 25 - 48
Our first glimpse into the eighth of the evil pouches (the malebolge) that make up the giant circle of fraud in Dante's INFERNO.Except nothing's as clear as it…
- Walking With Dante
Poetic Theory In The Crack Between Two Evil Pouches: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 13 - 24
Dante and his guide, Virgil, leave the seventh of the evil pouches (the malebolge) of fraud by means of a rocky scramble. Then the poet stops and drops into a…
- Walking With Dante
Take Heart, Fellow Walkers!
Hi, I'm Mark Scarbrough and we've been walking with Dante for a long time. We're doing it slowly, a passage at a time, and we've come through some of the…
- Walking With Dante
More Questions Than Answers: An Overview Of The Metamorphosizing Thieves And The Seventh Of Fraud's Malebolge
We have spent a long time with the thieves in the seventh of the malebolge or the evil pouches of fraud's eighth circle of hell. It's time for a…
- Walking With Dante
The Shifty Thieves, The Certain Judgment, The Uncertain Poet: Inferno, Canto XXV, Line 142 - Canto XXVI, Line 12
Dante the poet has finally wrapped up the pilgrim's time in the seventh of the evil pouches, the "malebolge" that make up the eighth circle of INFERNO, the…
- Walking With Dante
Morphing Into Your Own Father: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 79 - 141 (Part Two)
We've already explored the source material behind the third metamorphosis in the pit of the thieves, the seventh of the malebolge in the great landscape of…
- Walking With Dante
Identity Theft In The Middle Ages: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 79 - 141 (Part One)
We've reached the third and final metamorphosis in the seventh of the evil pouches, the malebolge that make up the eighth circle of hell in INFERNO.Join me…
- Walking With Dante
Turning The Beast With Two Backs Into Poetry: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 34 - 78 (Part Two)
In the last episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, I helped you understand the sources and textual problems in this second metamorphosis from the seventh of the evil…
- Walking With Dante
The Beast With Two Backs--Or, Two Things And Nothing: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 34 - 78 (Part One)
First, a guy burns up, turns to ashes, comes back to life, and prophesies the future. Then a centaur run by with snakes and dragons on his back. And if that…
- Walking With Dante
Cacus, A Centaur Like None Other, Not Even In Classical Literature: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 17 -33
Vanni Fucci has run off, wrapped up in snakes. But he's now just prey for Cacus, a centaur who arrives toting lots of snakes and even a dragon. Can it get any…
- Walking With Dante
Revenge Is Ever So Sweet: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 1 - 16
Vanni Fucci has given his big speech, complete with a clear statement of his crime/sin and an opaque statement of the future of Dante's friends and family (and…
- Walking With Dante
The Bad Boys Get The Best Prophecies: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 121 - 151
We have watched a sinner burn up from a snakebite and reconstitute right in front of the pilgrim Dante's eyes. But who is this damned guy? The answer to that…
- Walking With Dante
Snakebit: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 97 - 120
Our pilgrim, Dante, and his guide, Virgil, have come down to a place where they can see into the darkness of the seventh of the malebolge, the evil pouches…
- Walking With Dante
A Swarm Of Snakes And Literary Texts: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 79 - 96
Dante the pilgrim has wanted a good, close look into the seventh of the evil pouches, the seventh of the malebolge that make up the great landscape of fraud in…
- Walking With Dante
Get Me Closer To That Unintelligible Stuff: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 61 - 78
Dante is still out of breath because of the arduous climb out of the sixth of the malebolge of fraud. But he doesn't want Virgil to know it!Join me, Mark…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil's Reprimand, The Pilgrim's Hypocrisy, The Poet's Games: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 46 - 60
Dante the pilgrim has gotten up to the top of the crag and out of the sixth of the malebolge, the evil pouches that make up the giant eighth circle of hell…
- Walking With Dante
The Struggle Is Real: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 22 - 45
Dante and Virgil have to get out of the sixth evil pouch, the pocket of the hypocrites. And the only way out is up!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we set out on…
- Walking With Dante
The Stars, The Seasons, A Peasant, And Dante: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 1 - 21
Poor Virgil, put in his place over and over again, ever since the fourth of the malebolge, the evil pouch of the fortune tellers, when he had to rewrite his…
- Walking With Dante
Reading The Comedy Without Believing The Comedy
Hi, I'm Mark Scarbrough and this is the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. In most episodes of this podcast, we slow-walk passage by passage through Dante's…