Sorry if this is dumb, but for reference, I'm reading John Ciardi's Translation of the Divine Comedy. I'm on Canto XXXII of Inferno: Circle Nine. And while I find it funny at times, I feel very detached from it all. I do not believe in any of this so that may contribute to my attitude but I have grown up in the US South so I have some cultural/religious reference.
But I see people online raving about how it makes them feel and I just feel like I'm missing something. I do have depression but I don't seem to have this problem with other books, usually. People are being mauled and burned and having horrible things happen to them and I just don't feel anything about it.
TL;DR: What is your experience with Dante's Divine Comedy? Is it normal to be very detached from it or do I need a better translation or something else?
Thanks!
by No_Instance18
2 Comments
I’ve only ever read it as an atheist. Feeling “detached” is fine. This was all inspired by medieval Christine theology and is not representative of the biblical afterlife.
That being said, it’s a great epic that spans across a lot of literary and mythological history that only improves as you read more classics. Take the time to read footnotes and even chase some interesting side stories to grasp better context. It sometimes helps to listen to or read a discussion/abridged versions alongside each chapter.
ETA fixed some typos.
I tried reading it a while ago and like you, I didn’t feel anything towards it. I ended up quitting it because I felt like I was wasting my time.
Not everyone is going to react the same way to a piece of work. I can acknowledge the sheer intelligence behind it and I know there is so much to explore; it’s not a surface level read. But I really couldn’t bring myself to care for it.