The First Ecstatic Vision . . . Of COMEDY: PURGATORIO, Canto XV, Lines 85 - 93
Dante and Virgil have stepped onto the third terrace of Purgatory proper and our pilgrim is hit with an ecstatic vision. In fact, the first one in a poem that may itself seem like an ecstatic vision. ...
24 Jul 202423min
Hunger, Light, Love, And The Theology Of Abundance: PURGATORIO, Canto XV, Lines 58 - 84
Dante the pilgrim has gotten one answer out of Virgil about the nature of abundance and scarcity in terms of heavenly good . . . but that answer was not apparently enough. So he goes back for more.Joi...
17 Jul 202427min
Scarcity, Abundance, And The Poetics Between The Terraces: PURGATORIO, Canto XV, Lines 34 - 57
Dante and Virgil encounter the awaited angel as they begin their ascent to the third terrace of Purgatory proper.They hear two snippets of song. They find the climb easier. And Dante asks Virgil to gl...
14 Jul 202433min
Redefining The Terms Of What Seems To Be: PURGATORIO, Canto XV, Lines 25 - 33
Dante the poet is playing a very crafty game. He's been pulling out all the stops with two metaphors to help us understand the weight, meaning, and timing of the light . . . and then he redefines that...
10 Jul 202415min
Playing Around With The Sun: PURGATORIO, Canto XV, Lines 1 - 24
Dante and Virgil pass on beyond the envious along the second terrace of Purgatory proper. As we enter the first of the middle three canti of all of COMEDY, Dante is blinded by the sun, about as we're ...
7 Jul 202430min
Virgil Inscribes Circularity Into Linearity: PURGATORIO, Canto XIV, Lines 142 - 151
Having been accosted by two voices decrying the fate of the envious on the second terrace of Purgatory proper, Dante and Virgil begin to walk toward a stairway to the third terrace. As they do, Virgil...
3 Jul 202428min
Two More Voices On The Winds Of Envy: PURGATORIO, Canto XIV, Lines 127 - 141
With Guido del Duca enmeshed in his tears, Dante the pilgrim and Virgil begin to talk on along the terrace of envy, searching for a way up to the third terrace of Purgatory.Lo and behold, they're stru...
30 Jun 202427min
Oh, For The Glory Days (That Maybe Never Were): PURGATORIO, Canto XIV, Lines 97 - 126
Guido del Duca reaches the climax of his diatribe: a nostalgic retrospective of the courts and families of Romagna. Where have the good guys gone?Is this Dante the poet's lament? Or Guido del Duca's? ...
26 Jun 202428min
