Poetic Rivalry And Poetic Guilt: INFERNO, Canto X, Lines 52 - 72

In this passage from INFERNO, our poet (and our pilgrim) comes face to face with the suffering he caused. It takes a brave writer to face his fears head on.

A shade rises up next to Farinata. This one's a Guelph, part of the faction that is Farinata's great enemy. This one's also Farinata's in-law, the man who married his son to Farinata's daughter. And this one is the father of a man our poet Dante sent into exile . . . and a man who died in exile.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore some of the most complicated bits of INFERNO that we've yet discovered, all about political and poetic rivalries, and the pain that humans inflict on each other with their blood-thirsty desire for tribalism.

This is a tough passage, full of interpretive knots, some of which have kept scholars busy for centuries. I can't answer all the questions. My hope is that this episode starts you on a journey to figure out the passage (and others!) in COMEDY.

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

[00:51] My English translation of INFERNO: Canto X, lines 52 - 72. If you'd like to see this translation, find a deeper study guide, or start a conversation with me, join me on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[02:38] An overview of the rings of hell until now--and the way this sixth circle may differ from what's come before.

[06:00] The arrival of Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, hauling himself up onto his knees in the tomb next to Farinata. Who is this? And why is he so important to Dante?

[08:55] Cavalcante's rather caustic reply to the pilgrim--which may tell more of the truth than he means. Dante is truly moving by his "high genius," despite the apparent sneer from the old man, who also reveals himself to be a doting father.

[11:56] Who is Guido Cavalcanti, Dante's poetic rival?

[15:53] The central point of the entire canto: Dante comes face to face with his complicity in the sufferings of Florence brought on by factionalism.

[16:58] Surely, the most difficult line in all of COMEDY! Centuries of scholarship have not made it any clearer. But I have another answer, outside the traditional readings.

[22:23] Cavalcante misunderstands the pilgrim. Misunderstanding may be the heart of the poet's notion of heresy. But there may be more afoot here. What if the poet is showing us that the pilgrim is not ready to use language properly because he is still sunk down in Florentine factionalism?

[28:00] One structuring device that may at work in Canto X: Acts 17 and the moment St. Paul is questioned by the Stoics and Epicureans.

[29:16] A second structuring device that may be at work in Canto X: the way Boethius in THE CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY weaves poetry and theology/philosophy together in one text.

[31:29] Finally, the Dante scholar John (not Peter--sorry!) Took's fantastic notion that our poet may be trying to offer busy people a hint of the contemplative life by writing poetry that needs to be puzzled out.

[34:23] Rereading INFERNO, Canto X, lines 52 - 72.