Mapping the Uncharted at the Beginning of the Age of Discovery: INFERNO, Canto XI, Lines 16 - 27

episode

Previously titled “Mapping The Uncharted At The Beginning Of The Age Of Discovery: Inferno, Canto XI, Lines 16 - 27” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026

Walking With Dante not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from Walking With Dante

Testing Theology With Optics: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 85 - 105 26 min · 30 Aug 2026

Mixed Metaphors and the Limits of Human Senses: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 64 - 84 20 min · 26 Aug 2026

Of Moon Spots and Virgil: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 46 - 63 21 min · 23 Aug 2026

Incarnated in the Moon: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 19 - 45 28 min · 19 Aug 2026

Go Home: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 1 - 18 25 min · 16 Aug 2026

Of Natural Instincts and Their Natural Ends: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 115 - 142 23 min · 12 Aug 2026

All episodes from Walking With Dante →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded07 Apr 2021

Publisherfeeds.captivate.fm ↗

Handlerec:7057917

Show notes

Settled under the tomb of a heretic pope, Dante-the-pilgrim hears Virgil's first take on the nature of lowest hell: malice, injury, the heart of evil itself, all bound up in force and fraud.Mappamundi? No! Mappa-inferno! Virgil's geography of hell will take up most of the rest of this canto and provide us with an unparalleled glimpse into the poet's thinking about the nature of evil. Or is it a glimpse into Virgil's thinking?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I rest with the pilgrim and listen to Virgil explain the road ahead.Here are the segments of this episode:[00:55] My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto XI, lines 16 - 27.[01:49] How did we get here? A brief look back through the plot to this moment.[03:10] What is the significance of Canto XI? Might there by a medieval numerology running under even the numbers of the cantos?[05:06] An explication of the passage, line by line, with particularly emphasis on two words: "injustice" and "malice," apparently the keys to understanding the lowest parts of hell, the worst of human behavior.[12:40] My first larger question based on this passage: How do you rediscover the texts that meant so much to you in an earlier part of your life?[17:43] My second larger question: Why does Virgil feel the need to map hell for the pilgrim (and us)?

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.