Week One: Cantos 1 - 5
For the purposes of this discussion, we will follow the structure of Baylor's 100 Days of Dante to frame our discussion. Feel free to use whatever translation you have access to (more is better) to follow along with the poem.
First Five Cantos:
- Canto One: Intro - The Dark Wood and the Hill
- Canto Two: Doubts and Vision
- Canto Three: The Gates of Hell
- Canto Four: The First Circle, Limbo
- Canto Five: Minos and the Lustful
Everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says:/ “Awake, O sleeper,/ and arise from the dead,/ and Christ will give you light.”/ Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise. Ephesians 5:14-16
Questions are incorporating some insights from both the Baylor lectures and Bishop Robert Barron's overview of Dante.
Here is a web resource for the poem (Conversational Translation):
Some Prompts:
1) "in medias res" means "in the middle of things" -- Dante opens the poem with this choice to start without elaborate set up. What does this allow him to do in the poem, how does this help connect with the reader? Does this work for you?2) Sleeping and being awake or woke: what sorts of thoughts might we have about coming to the realization or an Epiphany about life? In what ways does this relate to our own life?
3) What are the obstacles that Dante faces (the beasts)? What other obstacles does Dante face on getting through his journey? At this point in the journey, why do we think that one has to go through hell before seeking anything higher? What can we understand from the indirect route that Dante offers to the ultimate goal?
4) The intercession of Beatrice, Lucy, and Mary: What is it that is different about how Dante receives grace through the intercession of others and the way that we might seek intercession? How has Catholic theology changed in terms of directly seeking Mary's intercession over the last 700 years, and what opportunities does this allow? How can we see what Dante does as an unpacking of saintly intercession for those of us still in this life?
5) What purpose does Virgil seem to play in the poem so far? What difficulties does this create for Dante the poet and for us as the reader?
6) Where are some places that Augustine, Aquinas, and Aristotle show up in these first Five Cantos?
7) Why do people desire to rush toward their place in hell? What does this say about how we substitute our own will for God's will for us?
8) What are your reactions to the outer circle of hell, those that did not choose a side? What are your reactions to limbo? What is Dante saying about justice in these two locations? How do we treat his departure from St. Thomas here (the different sorts of limbo represented here)? Is limbo really Hell? Can we imagine a country estate in hell as being not-so-bad given that it still represents living apart from God?
9) What role does confession play in the interaction with Minos? How might this help us understand the opportunity we have in this life to go to confession and its significance? Are there any problems with the way that Dante locates confession here?
10) Do we sympathize with Francesca and her story? In what way do we have to rethink romance in light of this tale (a stylized version of a true story)? How might we see this story as a realist take on romance (the story of Lancelot and Guinevere is adultery, not romance)? What message do we teach our children today about following your heart? What sorts of priorities is Dante placing on marriage and family in the context of the social order and civil life?
I am going to post my reflection on Canto 4 here as a link to a PDF document, if you are interested. I wrote about limbo and why we should read Dante. What we hope to get from it, and what reading Dante offers to readers in our own time.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/12akcy30b6udisp/Why%20read%20Dante.pdf?dl=0
The story of Francesca really stands out to me. I have always been a big King Author fan, and learning a bit more about the importance of Lancelot and Guinevere for courtly love was an important part of my education. I always thought I was broken when it comes to romanticism, I never really understood it. It seemed sappy and overdone. I decided when I became an economist that this was just because I was a realist, and perhaps my realism was a vice.
ReplyDeleteThis passage in Dante really questions the romantic world view. Dante swoons with passion as Francesca makes her story sound so appealing. The poor girl that was forced to marry someone she didn't love couldn't help but fall in love with the brother of her husband, but we are reminded that this adultery was what placed them both in hell.
When we allow for romanticism to put our passions before our reason, we are opening the door to sin. So, when we are in a marriage, perhaps, and we think that we aren't "in love" anymore we are inviting sin into our lives. When we think we are born loving only one person or one type of person and can't change our fate, the temptation is to question what kind of God would force us into a life that is without hope. I think what we learn here is that love is so much more than what the romantic poets tell us. The ability to serve your family, your children, your community, your town, your faction, your region, etc. ..., that loyalty to place is what Dante seems to hold up here. There is great honor in what Dante is describing, but it is so very different than how we are "taught" to think of love and self-care in our own society.
Is Dante right by implication? Is romanticism the doorway to sin?