Inferno

I bought a copy of Dante's Inferno a few weeks ago, intending to educate myself on Renaissance, Italian poetry. I made an effort and managed two cantos, but gave up, as I found it impossible to ewad in any meaningful way - a bit like reading Finnegan's Wake.

That's the problem when reading a translation of foreign poetry that's faithful to the original - the lines follow the original, which obviously scan in the original language, but don't in a translation. I tried to overcome this by reading it as if I was reading a prose story, but it meant I lost the gist, as I was expecting punctuation that wasn't there or, alternatively, reaching punctuation that I wasn't expecting, making reading an effort. It's also very rich in flowery language and allegory that's lost if you're not immersed in Italian, Renaissance culture.

I guess what I really need to do is either learn Italian, or obtain a copy that is indeed written fully in prose than in poetic style. I think the latter will be easier.

I believe that most of our ideas about Hell came from Dante's imagination.