Here is Dante at his ribald, shocking, and demonic best as he describes in unforgettably vivid detail his harrowing descent to the very bottom of Hell (Goodreads).
While much of the actual plot is up for the readers' interpretation, this first installment in the Divine Comedy is certainly an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. Dante's language (and Mandelbaum's translation) give a chilling description of the circles of Hell, and use wonderful examples of contrast in narration especially, one moment using beautiful poetic language, and the next using harsh cacophonies of sentences. Dark bits of humor thrown in are a satisfying addition, and while the format is somewhat hard to understand, and often a tad full of ancient Italian people and politics that are no longer relevant, Dante's vocabulary and philosophy are nearly unmatched. Slow moving to start off with, the pace quickens later on, leading to a disorienting but satisfactory ending. 6.6/10
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