Reading Plan for Dante’s Divine Comedy

 

Dante, Anthony Esolen (tr.), Inferno

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To page

Date Due

#pages

Appendices A, B, C.

363

394

Feb 14, 2011

32

Cantos 1-2 Lost in the dark wood; Virgil sent by the three ladies; 3 Gates of hell, trimmers, Charon; 4 Limbo

3

41

Feb 14, 2011

20

5 Minos, Paolo and Francesca; 6 Gluttonous; 7-8 Wrathful and Sullen, Filippo Argenti; 8-9 City of Dis

43

95

Feb 16, 2011

27

Cantos 10 Heretics, Farinata and Cavalcante; 12 Murderers; 13 Suicides; 14 Blasphemers

97

147

Feb 28, 2011

26

Esolen’s introduction to Inferno

xi

xxv

Feb 28, 2011

15

15-16 Bruno Latini; 17 Usury; 19 Nicholas III mistakes Dante for Boniface VIII

149

201

Mar 2, 2011

27

20 Diviners; 21 Harrowing of Hell, demons try to deceive Virgil; hypocrites; 24-25 thieves/serpents

203

263

Mar 7, 2011

31

26 evil counselors Ulysses and Diomedes

265

273

Mar 9, 2011

5

27 Guido da Montefaltro; 28 schismatics; Geri del Bello; 29-30 falsifiers, impostors; 30 Master Adam and Sinon; 31-34 Traitors; 32-33 Caina, Ugolino and Ruggieri

275

349

Mar 14, 2011

38

34 Satan with Judas, Brutus, and Cassius in his mouths; climb down Satan and exit Hell

351

361

Mar 16, 2011

6

 

 

Dante, Anthony Esolen (tr.), Purgatory

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Cantos 1 Cato, a reed belt; 2 angelic boatman, Casella’s song; 3 Manfred (excommunicate); 4 Belacqua (negligent); 5 Montefeltro (violent end), La Pia; 6-8 Valley of Rulers, Sordello (friend to Virgil); 9 the Porter and the Gate

3

103

Mar 21, 2011

51

Esolen’s introduction to Purgatory

xiii

xxxiii

Mar 23, 2011

21

Cantos 10-12 Ring of Pride

105

135

Mar 28, 2011

16

Cantos 13-14 Ring of Envy; 15-16 Ring of Wrath

137

167

Mar 28, 2011

16

Central Cantos: 16 Mark the Lombard on freedom; 17 nature of sin; 18 the soul’s loves

169

199

Mar 30, 2011

16

Cantos 19-21 Ring of Avarice; 19 Pope Adrian V; 20 Hugh Capet; 21-22 Statius (fellow poet), purgation a matter of freedom; 22-24 Ring of Gluttony

201

265

Apr 4, 2011

33

Appendices A and B: Aquinas

369

380

Apr 6, 2011

12

Appendix E: Prayers; also, in Inferno, Appendices D, E, F

407

409

Apr 6, 2011

3

Cantos 25-27 Ring of Lust; 25 Statius on body and soul; 26 Arnaut Daniel

267

297

Apr 11, 2011

16

Appendices C and D: Poetry and Purgatory

381

406

Apr 11, 2011

26

Cantos 28-33 Earthly Paradise; 28 Matelda; 29 the Pageant; 30 Beatrice replaces Virgil; 31 contrition and Lethe; 32-33 Church and Empire, wrong and right

299

367

Apr 13, 2011

35

 

 

Dante, Anthony Esolen (tr.), Paradise

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To page

Date Due

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Cantos 1 take-off; 2 I: The Moon; 3 Piccarda and Constance; 5-6 II: Mercury: Justinian and politics, 7.113 Incarnation: the Magnificent Process

3

73

Apr 25, 2011

36

Cantos 8 III: Venus: Charles Martel; 9 other lovers, money vs. gospel

75

97

Apr 27, 2011

12

Canto 10: IV: The Sun: Aquinas, the dozen philosophers; 11: Thomas tells the story of Francis

99

121

May 2, 2011

12

Esolen’s introduction to Paradise

xi

xlv

May 4, 2011

35

Canto 12: a second dozen, Bonaventure tells the story of Dominic, ascent to God; 13: The wisest man, rashness of human judgment

123

143

May 9, 2011

11

Canto 14: Solomon on the resurrection; V: Mars: pageant of the Cross; 15: Cacciaguida and courtly virtue; 16: Florentine politics; 17: Dante’s future exile and present mission; 18: blessed warriors; ascent to VI Jupiter 19: pageant of the Eagle of Justice

145

209

May 11, 2011

33

Appendices C & D: Poetry of Thomas and Francis

377

388

May 16, 2011

12

Canto 20: six righteous kings, Ripheus and predestination; 21: VII: Saturn: the Divine Ladder, cosmic harmony; 22: St. Benedict; ascent to VIII: The Fixed Stars

211

243

May 18, 2011

17

 

 

 

Chesterton, Everlasting Man

From page

To page

Date Due

#pages

Intro, I Man in the Cave

7

39

Sep 8, 2010

33

II Professors and Prehistorics

40

55

Sep 8, 2010

16

III Antiquity of Civilization

56

81

Sep 15, 2010

26

IV God & Comparative Religion

82

100

Sep 15, 2010

19

V Man & Mythologies

101

115

Sep 29, 2010

15

VI Demons & Philosophers

116

136

Sep 29, 2010

21

VII War of Gods & Demons

137

150

Oct 25, 2010

14

VIII End of the World

151

165

Nov 1, 2010

15

I God in the Cave (for Christmas)

169

185

Jan 13, 2011

17

II Riddles of the Gospel

186

198

Feb 9, 2011

13

III Strangest Story in the World

199

213

Mar 28, 2011

15

IV Witness of the Heretics

214

231

Apr 4, 2011

18

V Escape from Paganism

232

249

Apr 11, 2011

18

VI Five Deaths of the Faith

250

261

Apr 25, 2011

12

Conclusion, Appendices

262

276

May 2, 2011

15