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Distractions And The Demands Of Writing About Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 1 - 21

Distractions And The Demands Of Writing About Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 1 - 21

FromWalking With Dante


Distractions And The Demands Of Writing About Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 1 - 21

FromWalking With Dante

ratings:
Length:
22 minutes
Released:
Jul 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Dante the pilgrim has had his last words with Belacqua and begins his journey on up the mountain. Or at least, laterally along the mountain of Purgatory.But those negligent souls with Belacqua are not done with the pilgrim. They point him out and seem suddenly to leap into action . . . or at least, into words.Dante is . . . flattered? Proud? Distracted. Virgil is having none of it. He reprimands the pilgrim and may give us a clue into the changing poetics of PURGATORIO.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we walk through the opening lines of canto V of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:03] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto V, lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along, print it off for notes, or continue the conversation with me, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:01] PURGATORIO, Canto IV and the unity of the soul vs. PURGATORIO, Canto V and the apparent stability/ultimate fragility of the body.[05:48] Canto V seems to open with more sardonic irony: a lot of activity from the negligent, lazy souls under the shadow of the rock with Belacqua.[08:20] Virgil's reprimand is one of his most strident in COMEDY. It also recapitulates the argument about the unity of the soul.[10:58] Dante the pilgrim may exhibit some hubris (or overreaching pride) in this passage. Or perhaps not. It's a tad unclear.[13:53] Dante the pilgrim certainly sees Virgil's remarks as a reprimand. But can there be error in the redeemed part of the afterlife?[17:15] Maybe Virgil is onto something about the writing of PURGATORIO. It cannot be "merely" about Dante the pilgrim's reactions.[19:44] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto V, lines 1 - 21.
Released:
Jul 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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 walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.