It’s time for another one of my favorite things: Dante’s Divine Comedy
I was first exposed to this work when I read the novel “inferno” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. In this book, science fiction writer Allen Carpenter dies and finds himself in Dante’s Hell. Led by Benito Mussolini, he travels all the way to the bottom of Hell, trying to figure out what the purpose of Hell is. I liked the book so much that I decided to check out the original, which turned out to be interesting and even fun.
Most people seem to prefer the Inferno. The Purgatio and Paradiso are considered less interesting than the torments of the damned. I don’t agree. Each section has its points of interest. The Purgatio offers hope and relief after the dismal landscapes of the Inferno. My favorite part of the Divine Comedy is towards the end of the Paradiso when Dante finally see God in all His Glory.