Of Moon Spots and Virgil: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 46 - 63

Now that our pilgrim Dante is standing in the moon, he has a fundamental question: Why are there spots on the moon?

And he thinks he knows the answer, right out of natural philosophy. They're caused by rare and dense material in the moon.

He's asking a question for which he knows the answer, trying to play teacher's pet. But Beatrice is having none of it. She's ready to show him how he's not as smart as he thinks he is.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our descent into some of the most complicated material in all of COMEDY.

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

[01:14] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 46 - 63. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[02:57] Two small thematic details: the uses of the word "body" and Beatrice's watery metaphor of "submerged."

[06:02] Two of three explanations for moon spots in this canto: 1) the folkloric myth and 2) the natural philosophy deduction.

[07:57] Folklore: Cain and his thorns in the moon.

[09:21] Natural philosophy: rare and dense materials (and how they reflect light).

[12:54] The distance Beatrice puts between her arguments (to come) and 1) sensory input and 2) reason . . . and thereby Virgil.

[17:07] Diversity and a pluralistic world.

[19:07] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 46 - 63.

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