The Authoritative Divine Comedy Collection: The Complete Epic and a Comprehensive Guide to It

Includes Dante's Divine Comedy
Includes a guide that analyzes the characters, plot, and themes of the epic poem.
*Includes a table of contents.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) spent nearly 13 years writing the Divine Comedy, one of the most famous pieces of literature in history. The epic poem was broken down into three parts - Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise - during which Dante, a Pilgrim, travels through each one guided first by the Roman poet Virgil, and then by the object of his affection, Beatrice. It seems obvious that Dante wanted to be a model to his readers, hoping that he could shed light on complex theological and metaphysical issues, and imposing some kind of meaning to life both on earth and after death.

The Divine Comedy is constructed as a summa, or a summation of knowledge and experience. Dante brought together an immense scope of subject matter, from history and theology to mathematics, physics and most of all, politics. The poem met with a broad positive reception even during his lifetime, giving credence to the fact that these issues were important to his audience, and that he had a captivating way of expressing themes which would seem to be beyond the average poet’s comfort zone.

The Authoritative Divine Comedy Collection includes Dante’s classic, as well as a comprehensive guide that provides a synopsis, a description of the characters, and a summary and analysis of every chapter. You can use the guide while you read or as a way to brush up on everything you once knew and since forgot.