Inferno (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) | Dante Alighieri
&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe Inferno&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RDante Alighieri&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&RNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&R&&L/I&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe Inferno&&L/I&&R remains literature's most hallowed and graphic vision of Hell. Dante plunges readers into this unforgettable world with a deceptively simple--and now legendary--tercet: &&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RMidway upon the journey of our life&&LBR&&RI found myself within a forest dark&&LBR&&RFor the straightforward pathway had been lost.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RWith these words, Dante plunges readers into the unforgettable world of the Inferno--one of the most graphic visions of Hell ever created. In this first part of the epic &&LI&&RThe Divine Comedy&&L/I&&R, Dante is led by the poet Virgil down into the nine circles of Hell, where he travels through nightmare landscapes of fetid cesspools, viper pits, frozen lakes, and boiling rivers of blood and witnesses sinners being beaten, burned, eaten, defecated upon, and torn to pieces by demons. Along the way he meets the most fascinating characters known to the classical and medieval world--the silver-tongued Ulysses, lustful Francesca da Rimini, the heretical Farinata degli Uberti, and scores of other intriguing and notorious figures.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RThis edition of the &&LI&&RInferno&&L/I&&R revives the famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation, which first introduced Dante's literary genius to a broad American audience. "Opening the book we stand face to face with the poet," wrote William Dean Howells of Longfellow's Dante, "and when his voice ceases we may marvel if he has not sung to us in his own Tuscan." Lyrically graceful and brimming with startlingly vivid images, Dante's Inferno is a perpetually engrossing classic that ranks with the greatest works of Homer and Shakespeare.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&R&&LB&&RFeatures a map of Hell and illustrations by Gustave Dor.&&L/B&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LSTRONG&&R&&L/B&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LSTRONG&&RPeter Bondanella&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Italian at Indiana University and a past president of the American Association for Italian Studies. His publications include a number of translations of Italian classics, books on Italian Renaissance literature and Italian cinema, and a dictionary of Italian literature. &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R
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Halfway through his life, Dante awakens in a dark forest where misery surrounds him; he is in the area outside of hell. He is unable to say how he arrived at this place but knows he strayed from the straight road. In his pursuit of light, representing Christ, he climbs a hill. However, blocked by beasts symbolizing the three types of sin separating mankind from God (deception, violence, and greed), he decides to turn back to the forest. 3w
Approaching hell's gates on Good Friday, Dante laments that he is not worthy to enter the afterlife and return. Virgil tells him that the virgin Mary knows he has strayed off course and has sent her messenger to tell Virgil to guide him. Heaven is with them so Dante agrees to enter hell.
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Outside of hell is a place for the uncommitted in life. These people never chose a side, good or bad and only did what was best for themselves. This group includes the angels who chose no side in the rebellion of angels. The uncommitted scurry restlessly through fog in search of a blank banner they can never catch while being pursued by wasps and hornets. Their bodies drop with pus and blood that attracts maggots.
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The third circle of hell is for those guilty of gluttony. These sinners wasted their lives eating and drinking too much so they are forced to bathe in a foul slush that rains on them. Cerberus, the three headed dog of myth, drools over the people. Dante meets up with a man from Florence who tells him about the future.
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The fourth circle of hell is for the hoarders and the wasters. The hoarders only wanted to gain wealth and things on earth and the wasters spent money recklessly. These sinners were blind in life and in hell their souls can‘t be seen. For punishment, they joust with heavy boulders and mock one another. This is a fit punishment because one side is hoarding and the other side is throwing away just like they did on earth but now with rocks.
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