Dante, The Poet Between The Classical And Modern Worlds: INFERNO, Canto VIII, Lines 7 - 30

The fifth circle of INFERNO: wrath (and its counterpart to come).

We may or may not be over a break in the poem. Boccaccio thought so. Many modern scholars do not. I'll give you some reasons why this passage may not be a break in COMEDY.

Plus, we'll talk about the uneasy balance between the classical and Christian worlds, starting with Phlegyas, the boatman over this swampy muck.

And we'll discover how Dante attempts to solve the problem of the pilgrim's corporeality. He is indeed in his body. Which means this poem is not a dream vision. Which means that he's starting to claim that this journey "really" happened. And that the journey gains some sort of weight . . . and slows down.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we walk slowly with the pilgrim Dante across the known universe--or here, set out in a boat to cross the muck of the wrathful.

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Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:05] My English translation of INFERNO, Canto VIII, Lines 7 - 30. (Actually, I'll back up and take it from the first line of the canto for a running start into these lines.) If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.

[02:53] Does the poem really restart? Most thought so in the Renaissance. Many don't think so now. Here are some of the reasons my interpretation--that it restarts at Canto VIII--may be wrong. It begins with the growth of Virgil's character.

[07:46] Why do the towers signal each other? In other words, the scene opens with a interpretative question, which sets up the interpretive quagmire of the cantos ahead.

[10:58] The little boat arrives! It's "little," as opposed to Charon's big boat.

[12:21] Who is Phlegyas?

[14:04] Perhaps it's not good to think about the poet Dante in terms of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Perhaps it's better to think of him in terms of the classical and the modern world.

[17:44] The problem of corporeality is solved! The boat sinks down under the weight of the pilgrim. But that solution brings with it more problems! And maybe it also exhibits a greater confidence on the part of this poet.