Description
Going through Hell offers readers an accessible and thoughtful tour of the Inferno, retelling the events of the 34 cantos in engaging, modern language. Accompanying commentary explores the drama and imagery in each canto, stimulating further thought and suggesting how Dante’s text can connect to our everyday lives.
Moving away from the literal story of the Inferno (which describes the condition of damned souls after death), Going through Hell considers the poem’s description of what happens when we act self-centredly in the present. Such behaviour inhibits unified community, which is Dante’s ideal for human life.
Going through Hell thus offers readers a mirror through which to observe ourselves and our world more clearly; the commentary serves as a dependable guide, helping us see into this mirror with insight and delight. Ultimately, Abrahamson presents a model of how deep engagement with great literature can be a fulfilling, joyful experience—with transformative potential for our lives and society.
About the Author
Robert-Louis Abrahamson is Emeritus Professor in the European Division of the University of Maryland. He was raised in Philadelphia and attended Amherst College, the University of Edinburgh and Rutgers University before settling in England in 1980. He has lectured and given talks on Dante over several decades, including 102 podcasts on The Divine Comedy and many episodes of his radio show Evening under Lamplight (Cambridge Radio) discussing the Inferno.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Canto 1
Canto 2
Canto 3
Canto 4
Canto 5
Canto 6
Canto 7
Canto 8
Canto 9
Canto 10
Canto 11
Canto 12
Canto 13
Canto 14
Canto 15
Canto 16
Canto 17
Canto 18
Canto 19
Canto 20
Canto 21
Canto 22
Canto 23
Canto 24
Canto 25
Canto 26
Canto 27
Canto 28
Canto 29
Canto 30
Canto 31
Canto 32
Canto 33
Endorsements and Reviews
For the reader who is neither a medievalist, nor a theologian, Going through Hell offers an engaging companion to reading Dante’s great poem. In his book, Robert-Louis Abrahamson draws on a lifetime of study to show how Dante’s often strange medieval world and no less strange theological assumptions can still reveal astonishing insights into our own postmodern world and confront us with uncomfortable but compelling truths about what it is to be human and what we should most value in our lives.George Pattison, retired Professor of Divinity, University of Glasgow
