Intro/Inferno (Cantos I-V)

So here's to all things topographical! (Applause.) After two geography classes at UConn, I'm finally being exposed to a side of it that I may very well enjoy. No more demographic studies: this is Dante's Inferno we're talkin' about!

Enough pep. I'm here to talk a bit about the first five cantos of the Inferno, in particular its intricate, circular portrayal of hell. I'm used to the Biblical depiction of hell described in rousing sermons by my childhood priest, and hadn't seen such a complex schematic of the place until picking up this poem. It's contours may almost be likened to a tree stump or an onion, with some circles/layers imagined as larger, smaller, busier, emptier, more agonizing, or less terrible than their neighbors. This sits in stark contrast to my previous mental picture of hell as a single domain beneath the earth, where souls aren't separated by the degrees of their sins. In light of these first five cantos, I realize that my view of the great Devil's Den has been systematically dulled by cartoon versions of it, in which the devil sits as a dark, brooding figure in a cave of flames. Here, on the contrary, I saw an interesting mixture of characters out of epic poetry, Greek and Roman mythology, and Christianity.

As I finished up the reading, I couldn't help but wonder if the topographical intricacy of Dante's hell was a result of his use of many literary, historical, philosophical, and mythological figures, or whether it was the other way around: the great capacity of Dante's hell spawning the inclusion of these characters. Either way, I'm prepared for an interesting read. Considering I've only reached the second circle out of seven, I'm certain this question will be answered over the coming week. Stay tuned.