Mason Andrew Saye
Mrs. Shannon Welch
Advanced Placement Literature
16 October 2018
Literature in Hell
At the dawn of the Renaissance, a poet by the name of Dante Alighieri was writing what is now known as the Divine Comedy. The divine comedy, a collection of three poems that address that of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven were groundbreaking at the time of their publishing. These works are a direct outcome of the myriad of questions that were asked during the end of the middle ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. Specifically, The Inferno, is the accounts of the dispirited Dante, as he embarks on a journey through the unfathomable abyss that is known as hell. A book by the name of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster, explores similar subject matter to that of The Inferno. Chapters within How to Read Literature Like a Professor educate the reader on how to properly interpret the varying literary devices in The Inferno. How to Read Literature Like a Professor properly shows the reader on how to identify devices such as Irony and Symbolism, as well as, how to identify Christian motifs that are imperative in the overall understanding of Dante Alighieri's, The Inferno.
The first device that prevalent in The Inferno is irony. Foster explains that, “Irony—sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes wry or perplexing—provides additional richness to the literary dish” (Foster 244). Foster then goes on to write that, “…it [ irony ] certainly keeps us readers on our toes, inviting us, compelling us, to dig through layers of possible meaning and competing for signification” (Foster 244). Foster's implications of irony are prevalent in the inferno, in fact, the work as a whole is an entire irony: those that do “bad” in life, are sentenced to an eternity of punishment. Specifically, in Canto XIII, Dante explains how the, “woods of suicides,” are filled with people who have committed suicide. But instead of the torture and pain that almost every other sinner is being subjected to, they are stripped of their human form altogether (Alighieri 73). Dante furthers the irony by stating the souls that ended their lives spend eternity as the device that they used to kill themselves: a tree. The tree acts as a perpetual reminder of the angst and discourse that the suicidal faced in their past lives. Furthermore, Dante uses irony to show the punishment that the gluttons must endure. He writes in Canto VI, “In the third circle I am of the rain Eternal, maledict, and cold, and heavy” (Alighieri 52). Dante observes that the souls that overindulged themselves in the wonders of food and drink, have to endure endless rain that destroys the body that they did not take care of in the physical realm. Likewise, irony is used to describe the punishment for violence. Dante describes that the those who are punished for violence are divided into subcategories of punishment. Those who had a need for violence and showed violence towards others are damned to an eternity in a river of boiling blood, drowning in the thing that they desired most in life (Alighieri 60). Dante furthers the irony by stating those who show violence toward god, sodomites and blasphemers, are banished to a barren plane of sand ignited by falling flakes of fire (Alighieri 120). In Fosters, How to Read Literature Like a Professor the reader is able to further understand the rich and enigmatic ironies of The Inferno by using lessons that foster writes about in his chapter about irony. Without fosters definition of irony in How to Read Literature Like a Professor readers would be simply be reading another boring poem, and would not truly understand how hell systematically punishes wrongdoers by what they enjoyed most in life: their sin. These lessons help the reader differentiate a variety of literature beyond the inferno, and enables them to be adept in the wonders of irony.
Both How to Read Literature Like a Professor and The Inferno are similar when discussing symbolism. Foster writes that, “many readers expect them [symbols] to be objects or images rather than evens or actions” (Foster 105). The most difficult device to identify in the inferno is symbolism, mainly because it is not as simple as eternal punishment. The reader has to read in between the lines in order to fully understand the symbolism at play in The Inferno. Virgil can be seen as reason in human form. Virgil is who saved Dante and is the one who has protected and guided Dante through his entire journey. If it was not for Virgil, the incarnation of reason, Dante would have not been able to leave hell for another realm. In Fact, As Dante and Virgil further their way through hell, they get themselves into more instances when they are in need of divine assistance and it becomes clear that reason is not all that is necessary for the pair to venture through hell. Furthermore, foster argues that symbolism can be taken literally or figuratively, opening up to a vast amount of interpretation and “should not be taken as definite”(Foster 105). In Canto II Dante Writes, “ Made myself ready to sustain the war, both of the way and likewise of the woe, Which memory that errs not shall retrace” (Alighieri 17). The war could be argued to be representative of the battle of religion that was happening in fourteenth-century Europe, and that Dante would learn from what was happening, however many argue, that the war is figurative to a battle between sanity and madness and light and darkness inside of Dante himself. This is further represented by the iconic introduction of the inferno, “Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost” (Alighieri 12). While it could be plausible that a literal path had veered, it is much more likely that it refers to Dante's inner battle within himself and the closer he nears towards darkness that more mad he becomes. The duality of Dante's symbolism supports the argument posed by foster that symbolism can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, and quite possibly leads to a higher validation of the work as a whole.
The Works of Dante and Foster are also very similar in that they both discuss Christ. However, Jesus is not a character in The Inferno, but Christianity is unquestionably an underlying component in the plot as a whole. This is clear, because of the close-minded attitude of fourteenth-century Europeans and the fact that, there was no separation of church and state, Christianity was the backbone of every Europeans daily life. Dante heavily influences his own beliefs of Christianity and his relationship of God in the poem as well. Foster Writes, “Culture is so influenced by its dominant religious systems, that whether or not a writer adheres to the beliefs or not, the values and principles of those religions will inevitably inform the literary work” (Foster 119). This furthers the idea that behind every piece of literature there is an underlying component of the authors own religious beliefs. In Dante’s work, it is apparent within the first couple of cantos that Christ is a strong underlying component. In Canto IV, Dante remarks on the land of limbo where ancient Greek poets and philosophers are damned solely for not being alive before the concept of Christianity existed. The fact that presumably “good people” are to wonder forever as punishment for not believing in an idea that had not been established yet, shows the dominant force of the Christ in the work as a whole. In Addition to the underlying presence of Christianity in the work, there are also a vast array of literal examples of Christianity being referenced throughout the novel. One of which is the use of the number three. In Christian culture, the number three is representative of divinity and throughout the work, it is seen. For Example, in the prologue, three beasts stand in his way in way of Dante in the dark forest (Alighieri 3). This works to show that Dante had divine intervention before he even began his journey through the layers of hell trying to stop him. Likewise, when Dante comes into the presence of Satan, it is revealed that he has “Three Heads” (Alighieri 272). This use of three goes to remind the reader that Satan is a fallen angel and a child of God, who is also damned to an endless punishment of his divine father. In Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor, he describes the criteria that allude to a Christ figure in a work and of those is that of stakes in the hands. In Canto XXIII, in regard to that of friars, “one crucified with three stakes on the ground” (Alighieri 187). Dante includes this to not only allude to Christ, but to also show divine power. The three stakes indicate that the punishment that the friar is receiving, is one from God. Whether it be a direct or indirect reference, The Inferno is full of many Christ-like motifs. Dante’s use of Christ is more of an instinct than a conscious decision. As expressed by Foster, Dante's beliefs and relationship with God are reflected in his writing. Dante’s journey also represents his drive to find a meaning of life and better his relationship with God. The use of three to symbolize divinity increases as Dante gets closer to the center of hell, his relationship with God improves and he starts to find himself again. He stops relying solely on the madness and darkness but starts to rely on god. The use of Christ-like symbols is essential for the readers to understand the overall journey that Dante partakes in. Fosters work, helps readers understand the cryptic message that assumably simple topics include.
Dante’s, The Inferno, is not just a journey of a man through hell, but also the exploration of human reason and a man's complicated relationship with a divine force. Fosters, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, enables readers to achieve an enduring understanding of Dante’s work, as well as, difficult literature in general. The Inferno, and How to Read Literature Like a Professor relate in that they both discuss the subject matter of ironies, symbolism, and Christian motifs. These similarities are imperative for readers to fully analyze the cantos of The Inferno.