Originally published in 1913 as a portion of the author’s larger “The Book of Epic,” and equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, this Kindle edition retells, in plain English, the story of Dante’s epic poem, “Divine Comedy,” including all three sections: “The Inferno,” “Purgatory,” and “Paradise.”
Includes supplemental material:
• About Dante
• About the “Divine Comedy”
Sample passage:
Reaching a spot where the stream they are following suddenly thunders down into the eighth circle, Dante beholds three spirits running toward him, whirling round one another “in one restless wheel,” while loudly exclaiming his garb denotes he is their fellow countryman! Gazing into their fire-scarred faces, Dante learns these are three powerful Guelfs; and when they crave tidings of their native city, he tells them all that has recently occurred there. Before vanishing these spirits piteously implore him to speak of them to mortals on his return to earth, and leave Dante and Virgil to follow the stream to the verge of the abyss. There Virgil loosens the rope knotted around Dante’s waist, and, casting one end of it down into the abyss, intimates that what he is awaiting will soon appear. A moment later a monster rises from the depths, climbing hand over hand up the rope.
About the Author:
Helene A. Guerber brings literature and history to life. She is the author of numerous books, including “The Story of the Greeks,” “Stories of Shakespeare’s Tragedies,” and “The Story of the Thirteen Colonies.”
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