Dantes Inferno, Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.
Dantes Inferno, Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.
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Dante's Inferno
A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy

Author: Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.

Narrator: Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.

Unabridged: 4 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/01/2012


Synopsis

The Greatest Poem Ever Written
Dante's Divine Comedy can rightly be called the greatest poem ever written, praised through the ages by a pantheon of writers and scholars. Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) referred to Dante's crowned "visionary brow." Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941) said "Dante is my spiritual food!" Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922) called Dante "the most eloquent singer of the Christian idea." Even the 20th century literary critic T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) famously wrote that "Shakespeare and Dante divide the world between them, there is no third."
Yet today this great poem is often dismissed by modern scholars for its unabashed Catholic theology and deep spiritual vision. Shrug off the unfounded disdain of these skeptics and discover for yourself the true grandeur, Christian nature, and sheer artistry of Dante's Divine Comedy.
Your Expert Guide
Just as Dante needed Virgil to lead him through the bowels of Hell, you also need a true and trustworthy guide. Dr. Anthony Esolen serves as your Virgil in this course on the Inferno, the first canticle of the Divine Comedy. An expert who has taught Dante to college students for more than twenty years, Professor Esolen is also the preeminent modern translator of the entire Divine Comedy from the original Italian.
The 9 Circles of Hell
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Along the way, you will learn:
Dante's astonishing human and theological insightsThe destiny of manHow to find our way out of the wilderness of sinThe relationship between love and knowledgeThe integral unity between body and soul.
Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin, and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.

Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on March 09, 2024

whoa this book is wild. in place of a review of this whole book, i'm just going to write about this single line in Inferno that i full on cannot stop thinking about. warning: this is completely nasty. blame Dante. also: all credit goes out to my literary foundations professor. i'm essentially regurgi......more

Goodreads review by Glenn on July 03, 2023

Dante’s Inferno - the first book I was assigned to read in my high school World Literature class. Back then I couldn’t get over how much the emotion of fear set the tone as I read each page. I recently revisited this classic. Rather than a more conventional review – after all, there really is nothin......more

Goodreads review by Joshua Nomen-Mutatio on April 28, 2011

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT HOW HELL IS GONNA SUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on November 10, 2020

I did not expect Dante’s Inferno to be easy, but it was not as hard as I expected it to be. In order to make sure that I gave it my all, over the course of about 40 days I listened to it twice, had a physical copy that I skimmed and referenced, looked at online study guides, and discussed with some o......more

Goodreads review by Manny on July 13, 2011

The other day, in the comment thread to her review of The Aeneid, Meredith called The Divine Comedy "lame": specifically, she objected to the fact that Dante put all the people he didn't like in Hell. Well, Meredith, you're perfectly welcome to your opinions - but I'm half Italian, and I've been pol......more