Walking With Dante
Episodes
Nimrod, A Mighty Hunter, A Mighty Problem: INFERNO, Canto XXXI, Lines 46 - 81
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Towers? No, Giants! No, Towers! Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 28 - 45
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 explai...
The Liminal Space Between The Eighth And Ninth Circles Of Hell: Inferno, Canto XXXI, Lines 7 - 27
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Our Farewell To Fraud With A Host Of (Maybe Unanswered) Questions: INFERNO, Cantos XVIII, Line 1, through XXXI, Line 6
11 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
An Overview Of Fraud, The Eighth Circle Of INFERNO
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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-se...
A Review And Overview Of Fraud's Tenth Evil Pouch: Inferno, Canto XXIX, Line 1, through Canto XXXI, Line 6
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 circl...
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
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Many Pleasures Of Insults: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 104 - 129
28 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Sin...
The Bottom Of Hell, The Beginnings Of Western Civilization: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 91 - 103
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Behold The New Modern Man, Master Adam: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 46 - 90
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 fr...
Watch Out For Those Impersonators: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 34 - 45
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 pigs?...
Contagion, Fraud, And The Fall Of Civilizations: INFERNO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 33
14 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Gossip About The Fools Of This World Is About As Human As It Gets: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 124 - 139
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 pil...
Laughter Is The Best Medicine, Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 109 - 123
07 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 st...
How To Hold Onto Your Humanity, Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 73 - 108
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A Medieval Hospital Of Horrors: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 37 - 72
31 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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!...
You Can Solve Your Family's Vendetta Even In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXIX, Lines 1 - 36
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 li...
Bertran de Born, The Rationale For Inferno, & The Dangers Of Poetry: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 112 - 142
24 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 poetr...
Of The Florentine Civil War, The Bloody Aftermath, And Its Child, Rage: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 103 - 111
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 mor...
Of The Roman Civil War, Idealism, And Its Child, Ambivalence: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 91 - 102
17 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Dant...
The Wonder Of Historical Obscurity: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 64 - 90
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 "m...
The Most Shocking Line In The Canticle Of Pain: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 46 - 63
10 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 D...
Dante, Muhammad, The Comedy, and Islam: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 22 - 45
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
The Body In Pain Is The Wreckage Of Empire: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 1 - 21
03 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A Comparision And Contrast Between Ulysses And Guido Da Montefeltro: Inferno, Cantos XXVI And XXVII
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
The Demonic Struggle For Guido's Embittered Soul: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 112 - 136
26 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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-just...
Guido da Montefeltro's Take On His Own Life ("I Didn't Do Anything Wrong"): Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 58 - 111
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, eig...
An Interview And Reading Of Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 58 - 129 With J. Simon Harris And His New Translation Of Inferno
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Sc...
Tiptoeing Around The Tyrants Of Romagna: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 31 - 57
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 landscap...
Beware Of Classical Figures, Modern Politicians, And Maybe Poets: Inferno, Canto XXVII, Lines 1 - 30
12 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 trag...
The Case For Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Case Against Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
05 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Glorious Monologue Of The Damned Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 wa...
It's All Greek To Dante: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 64 - 84
29 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Fifth Great Sinner Of Hell, Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 49 - 63
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 u...
Fireflies, Elijah, And Messy Metaphors: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 25 - 48
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 cl...
Poetic Theory In The Crack Between Two Evil Pouches: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 13 - 24
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 drop...
Take Heart, Fellow Walkers!
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
More Questions Than Answers: An Overview Of The Metamorphosizing Thieves And The Seventh Of Fraud's Malebolge
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 retro...
The Shifty Thieves, The Certain Judgment, The Uncertain Poet: Inferno, Canto XXV, Line 142 - Canto XXVI, Line 12
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Morphing Into Your Own Father: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 79 - 141 (Part Two)
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 landsca...
Identity Theft In The Middle Ages: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 79 - 141 (Part One)
24 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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.Jo...
Turning The Beast With Two Backs Into Poetry: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 34 - 78 (Part Two)
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
The Beast With Two Backs--Or, Two Things And Nothing: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 34 - 78 (Part One)
17 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Cacus, A Centaur Like None Other, Not Even In Classical Literature: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 17 -33
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Revenge Is Ever So Sweet: Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 1 - 16
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 fa...
The Bad Boys Get The Best Prophecies: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 121 - 151
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Snakebit: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 97 - 120
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 po...
A Swarm Of Snakes And Literary Texts: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 79 - 96
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Get Me Closer To That Unintelligible Stuff: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 61 - 78
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, M...
Virgil's Reprimand, The Pilgrim's Hypocrisy, The Poet's Games: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 46 - 60
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Struggle Is Real: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 22 - 45
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Stars, The Seasons, A Peasant, And Dante: Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 1 - 21
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 rewri...
Reading The Comedy Without Believing The Comedy
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Virgil Humiliated, Virgil Adored: Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 127 - 148
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We come to the end of Canto XXIII and the sixth of the evil pouches, the malebolge, that make up the subsets of fraud in the eighth circle of INFERNO....
Virgil Gawks: Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 109 - 126
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We finally arrive at a moment that even our guide Virgil cannot believe.Why is he caught slack-jawed?The answer is more complicated than you might thi...
Welcome To The Synod Of The Hypocrites: Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 82 - 108
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante, our pilgrim, has slowed down to talk to two of the hypocrites, who are walking along in their gilded lead capes. But he gets more than he barga...
The Lead Weight Of Hypocrisy: Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 58 - 81
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante the pilgrim and his guide, Virgil, have come down to the bottom of the sixth evil pouch to escape the demons from the fifth. Here, they find a g...
A Review And Reading Of The Entire Fifth Evil Pouch Of Fraud: Inferno, Canto XXI, Line 1 - Canto XXIII, Line 57
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've been through the circle of barratry, of political grift--and now it's time to look back over this vast landscape of text in Dante's INFERNO.Join...
What You Read Determines What You See: Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 4 - 57
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante the pilgrim and his guide Virgil appear to have escaped the nasty demons in the fifth pouch of fraud, down in the eighth circle of Inferno.But t...
Grifters 1, Demons 0: Inferno, Canto XXII, Line 118 - Canto XXIII, Line 3
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our nameless grifter has proposed a game for the demons: Let's see how many more of my damned ilk I can call out of the boiling pitch for you to torme...
The Game Is On: Inferno, Canto XXII, Lines 94 - 117
13 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our nameless barrator has a plan for escape. He's been maimed by the demons but he's not finished yet!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we settle into high...
Naming Names Among The Grifters: Inferno, Canto XXII, Lines 76 - 93
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our nameless barrator has been ripped open--but he's still able to do what grifters do best: sell out his fellow grifters.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as...
The Demons Take Their Pound Of Flesh: Inferno, Canto XXII, Lines 40 - 75
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mange-Dog has pulled a political grifter up onto the shore of the boiling pitch and the demons are about to let him have it. But not before Virgil, pr...
Strolling Down The Avenue With The Demons: Inferno, Canto XXII, Lines 13 - 39
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante, our pilgrim, and Virgil, his guide, have fallen in with a pack of nasty demons who are on the prowl for any barrators who stick up from the boi...
Mile-High Poetics In The Service Of Rank Vulgarity: Inferno, Canto XXI, Line 127 - Canto XXII, Line 12
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Evil Tail has mustered his regiment of insane demons. They're ready to start out, leading our pilgrim, Dante, and his guide, Virgil, along the cliff t...
Bring On The Demons: Inferno, Canto XXI, Lines 103 - 126
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante, our pilgrim, and his guide, Virgil, have been stopped in their tracks by a pack of demons above the fifth evil pouch in the eighth circle of he...
All About Dante And Demons
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hi there. I'm Mark Scarbrough and this episode is one of the interpolated ones for the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. I'd like to pause in Inferno, Canto...
High Virgil, Low Demons, And The Poor Pilgrim Dante: Inferno, Canto XXI, Lines 64 - 102
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've seen seen one demon running along the bank. Now here comes a pack of them! They boil out at Virgil who is ready for them with lofty rhetoric and...
Working Together To Make A Mess: Inferno, Canto XXI, Lines 46 - 63
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The demon has thrown this sinner into the pitch, headed off to collect more in Lucca, and caused the whole horde of demons under the bridge to start t...
Virgil To The Rescue, A Demon On The Run: Inferno, Canto XXI, Lines 22 - 45
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dante the poet has gotten caught up in his own simile, which is long, complicated, and unwieldy, enough so that it brings the plot to a standstill.But...
Metaphors, Tautologies, And Pitch: Inferno, Canto XXI, Lines 1 - 21
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
WALKING WITH DANTE has been on a holiday hiatus. Now we're back at it, descending to Canto XXI of INFERNO, to the next malebolge, the fifth evil pouch...
Breaking Every Text, Even Your Own: Inferno, Canto XX, Lines 100 - 130
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We come to the end of the fourth evil pouch, the fourth of the malebolge, in the eighth circle of Inferno, the circle of fraud. And we go out with a b...
Virgil And His Fraudulent Poem The Aeneid: Inferno, Canto XX, Lines 52 - 99
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Virgil--and/or Dante, our poet--has already rewritten Ovid, Statius, and Lucan's poems. Now in a bit of insane daring, Virgil takes on this own poem, ...
For A Guy So Hard On Dante, Virgil Sure Doesn't Know His Classical Sources: Inferno, Canto XX, Lines 25 - 51
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our pilgrim Dante is crying at the distorted forms coming along in the fourth evil pouch (one of the malebolge) of the eighth circle of INFERNO. Or ma...
Poets, The Biggest Fraudsters Of All: Inferno, Canto XX, Lines 1 - 24
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Canto XX of INFERNO is one that many skip. it's just too hard or too discursive or too long-winded. But others spend careers on. After Canto I, Canto ...
A Look Back At The Structure, Beauty, And Engineering Of Inferno, Canto XIX
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inferno, Canto XIX, is one crazy canto, so gorgeously constructed, as thick as fine tapestry, woven with Biblical allusions, historical references, st...
Out Of Rage And Into Virgil's Arms: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 118 - 133
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our pilgrim, Dante, has finished his righteous rant. And after rage comes Virgil. More importantly, Virgil's embrace.The pilgrim ends the canto in the...
The Rant To End All Rants (Also, The World): Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 88 - 117
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our pilgrim, Dante, has been talking to Pope Nicholas III, stuck upside-down in a hole in the third evil pocket of the eighth circle of Inferno, the v...
Just When You Think You Have Comedy Figured Out, It Breaks You: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 64 - 87
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this passage, we get a clearer picture of the guy stuck upside-down in this hole in the third evil pouch, the third of the malebolge, in the eighth...
Popes In Hell: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 46 - 63
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Now we come to it: the daring part, the audacious part, and (dare we say it?) the funny part.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand with our pilgrim, D...
Let's Go Down Into The Third Evil Pouch: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 31 - 45
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dante the pilgrim and Virgil, his guide, have been walking along the ridge line of the eighth circle of Inferno. But Dante wants a closer look at the ...
Everybody Gets A Chance To Break The Church: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 13 - 30
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've come to one of the most difficult cruxes in all of INFERNO: a passage that's loaded with Christian symbolism but that also includes a bit of bio...
Of Prophets, Poets, And Pilgims: Inferno, Canto XIX, Lines 1 - 12
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's almost mind-boggling to see the difference between INFERNO, Canto XVIII, and INFERNO, Canto XIX.Canto XIX opens with a proem: a prefatory poem, t...
Flattery And Feces, Together At Last: Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 115 - 134
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've come to the back of INFERNO, Canto XVIII, to the two flatterers who live down in the pouch filled with the muck from human privies.Just as a war...
The Moldiest, Muckiest, And Grossest Bits Of Inferno (So Far): Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 100 - 114
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inferno is getting grosser. Coarser. And maybe more human?We're getting ready to cross over the second of the evil pouches of fraud in the eighth circ...
The Fine Art Of Seduction Can Land You In Hell: Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 67 - 99
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're about to climb up on a bridge and look down at the other sinners in the first of the evil pouches. These guys are going the other way--and they'...
Pimps, Fraud, And Metamorphosis: Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 40 - 66
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first evil pouch. And a long podcast episode on WALKING WITH DANTE.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we walk along the rim of the first of the evil pou...
Our First Glimpse Of Old-School Demons: Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 22 - 39
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're starting to walk along the first of the evil pouches with our pilgrim and his guide, Virgil. Down below, naked people are being whipped by horne...
Welcome To The Eighth Circle Of Hell: Inferno, Canto XVIII, Lines 1 - 21
24 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've passed the midway point in INFERNO. Halfway done! Yet we only have two circles left. We're about to enter the biggest circle of them all, the on...
A Look Back Over The Seventh Circle Of Hell In Dante's COMEDY
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've spent over forty (!) episodes of this podcast slow-walking through the seventh circle of INFERNO, among the sins of violence. We've been here a ...
Flying By The Seat Of Your Pants (Also, Geryon): Inferno, Canto XVII, Lines 100 - 134
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've come to the middle of INFERNO and the last bits of canto XVII. We've come to a tour de force of the imagination and a minor (foreshadowing?) com...
Buck Up, It's Geryon (And Modern Narrative Techniques): Inferno, Canto XVII, Lines 79 - 99
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our pilgrim walks back from the usurers, sitting out on the edge of the seventh circle of INFERNO, and finds that he must climb aboard the awful beast...
The Poetics Of Color And Usury: Inferno, Canto XVII, Lines 46 - 78
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've come to what Dantista Chivacci Leonardi calls "the most colorful" bits of Dante's INFERNO. We've come to the usurers, sitting on the brink of th...
Poet And Pilgrim, Walking Alone Along The Cliff: Inferno, Canto XVII, Lines 28 - 45
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The beast of fraud has breached. And Virgil's got some negotiating to do. So he sends Dante the pilgrim alone along the edge of the cliff to see the s...
Behold The Beast Of Fraud And Poetic Technique: Inferno, Canto XVII, Lines 1 - 27
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Canto XVII of INFERNO is often seen as a transitional canto, the way we get from the seventh circle of the violent to the eighth circle of the fraudul...
Laying My Cards On The Table: How I Read Dante's Comedy
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And by "read," as in the way it's used in literary studies, I mean "interpret."We've come through some tough passages, so I thought it would be useful...
Swearing The Truth About The Beast Of Fraud: Inferno, Canto XVI, Lines 124 - 136
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Well, we've come to it. The moment of truth. Or fraud. And what if they're the same thing? Or similar things?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for a corker of...
Cords, Leopards, Medieval Poets, And Medieval Pilgrims, All Straightened Out By Classical Poetry: Inferno, Canto XVI, Lines 106 - 123
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dante's COMEDY is about to shift gears. It's going to change its relationship to the poetry of the past. It's going to become more complicated in its ...
Tumbling Over A Simile About A Waterfall: Inferno, Canto XVI, Lines 91 - 105
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're going to slow up even more and take one long look at a very complicated fifteen lines that include a twelve-line simile about the waterfall ahea...