Virgil, The Damned Christian Missionary: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, Lines 55 - 74
Given that Statius claims a passage from The Aeneid made him see the error of his ways, Virgil wants to know how this poet of the Thebes could have ever become a Christian, particularly since his poet...
18 Touko 202534min
An Interpolated Episode: Dante and Irony
Since we’ve come to a moment of (perhaps!) profound irony as Statius misquotes and even misinterprets Virgil’s AENEID to find his way to salvation, we should perhaps pause and talk a bit about irony, ...
14 Touko 202521min
The Path To God Is Lined With Misquoted, Misinterpreted Texts: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, Lines 25 - 54
Statius and Virgil continue their conversation as they climb to the sixth terrace with the pilgrim Dante.Statius explains that he discovered his error when he read two lines from Virgil's AENEID. The ...
11 Touko 202539min
Virgil Offers Up The First Of Many Misread Texts: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, Lines 1 - 24
Blinded by the angel, Dante the pilgrim begins his climb to the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory. But his plight is overshadowed by Virgil’s desire to know more about Statius . . . in this strange pas...
7 Touko 202531min
A Read-Through Of PURGATORIO, Cantos XXII - XXIV
We have been a long time on the terrace of the avaricious (without knowing there's another sin punished there as well). We're ready to climb on up to the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory with Virgil a...
4 Touko 202528min
Caught Between Two Poets: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, Lines 103 - 136
Statius has sung his (first!) hymn of praise to Virgil without knowing that the old poet is right in front of him. Dante the pilgrim is caught between them in this most human episode with his master, ...
30 Huhti 202533min
The Audacity Of Statius: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, Lines 76 - 102
We finally get to know our unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Purgatory: Statius, the epic Roman poet.His salvation is one of the most audacious moves in all of COMEDY. Dante has to work every fict...
27 Huhti 202534min
The (Maybe?) Supremacy Of The Will: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, Lines 58 - 75
The still-unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory rounds out his answer to Virgil's questions with some shocking revelations: The souls in Purgatory seem to declare the moment they're cl...
23 Huhti 202522min
