The readings.
Listen, we all know the readings have gotten progressively easier as they've become more and more modern, but with the story of Landval and the Lay of Chevefoil, the ease of reading has become increased dramatically. Then we come to Dante's inferno. With the inferno the ease fo reading has been set back to Iliad levels, at least in my opinion. Its over saturated with heavy language, extreme similes, and the pettiness of the greeks. My belief is that Dante resumes this over saturation as a way to model the greeks similar way of being extreme about everything, following in the steps of the Romans for stealing works of the greeks, and following in his hero, Virgil's, footsteps.
Although I can definitely see where you are coming from, I actually find the language to be quite beautiful throughout The Inferno. It is deep, yes, but in my opinion, it is both necessary and welcome for the language to be so rich and full of detail. I do not think he is being extreme just for the sake of being extreme. As terrifying as it may be at times, Dante had a vision of what the afterlife could consist of, and he put it down on paper. He wanted everyone to see his vision the way he did, and he damn well succeeded. Even now, though some people might not know it, Dante is responsible for the "hell" of today. If he had not used the strong amounts of language/detail/imagery he did, I am sure that he would not have made as big an impact as he ended up making.
ReplyDeleteYeah, basically he scared the crap out of several centuries of people...
DeleteI'm certain that this is what Dante was attempting to achieve. Also, at the time of writing, Latin and Greek were the two main languages,and they lend themselves to grandiose speech and writing. Also, being able to "flex" your knowledge of the Greek/Roman myths was a sign of education back in the day. I think these are some of the reasons for his use of Homeric similes/metaphors.
ReplyDeleteDante was cutting edge in that, as he wrote the DC in his native vernacular, which goes on to become the source of modern Italian...
DeleteI agree that the Lais of Marie de France were very easy reads, and I can share your disappointment in returning to difficulty with The Inferno. However, that doesn't mean I didn't still really enjoy it, and I'm glad we read it, because I have always wanted to get around to it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, writing was probably more of an art form and less "free" in that time than it is today if you wanted to be taken seriously. Just like back in the day when you were ridiculed as a painter if you ever tried to step outside the box, writing style could've been the same. In that case it would make sense for him to mimic previous great works, even with his own spin.
I definitely found it a lot easier to read this than many of our previous readings. I would like to act as if I can contribute more to that discussion, but I really don't know why or what makes it different or easier for me. Some of the other comments have great input. I specifically like Pierre's opinion about Dante's decision to use Homeric metaphors as a "flex". That is a decent theory. As for Dante following Virgil's footsteps, definitely. I thought it was obvious after beginning the reading, the connection Dante has for Virgil is easy to pick up on. His political views being written out, the same way Virgil showed his political views against Greeks in The Aeneid.
ReplyDeleteI think Pierre's comment is valid, that Dante includes Homeric elements as a way of demonstrating his extensive classical knowledge. Dante clearly had great reverence for the classical poets, what with their exclusive access to Purgatory and Virgil's important place as Dante's guide through Hell. Therefore, Dante modeling certain aspects of this style of writing could be a combination of wanting to imitate a style he respects and of wanting to publicize his knowledge. All the classical elements and allusions build a kind of ethical appeal. Dante definitely has an ego, which is evident in the way that he also uses his writing as a way to live out vendettas against people who dared to wrong him.
ReplyDeleteI personally love the way The Inferno is written. The language is descriptive, ornate, and provides a lot of valuable detail. I found Lanval and Eludic to be oversimplified; at times the writing felt robotic. It reminded me of when you type something into Google Translate, and you get back a very basic output that communicates the general meaning but not the rhetoric significance of the original statement. I felt like the writing was more like a play-by-play and didn't move me or strike me the way the language of The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Inferno, etc. did.
I kind of agree with you on that. Although its effect in Old French might have been very different. But in our translation (by the novelist John Fowles, who wrote The French Lieutenant's Woman), it comes off as almost faux-simple...
DeleteReading the Inferno, I agree is a mouth full, but I feel for the time period it was produced in, it was necessary. As Pierre mentioned, being able to show your education and that your'e a superior in the "art" of words, was quite a feat and honor back in the day. As we discussed in class, bards like to look out for bards, Dante eternalizing Virgil as his guide, is how Dante chooses to honor him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement that it was going back to a more difficult read with the Inferno. I like how someone mentioned that they felt it was more of an art because of being taken seriously. I agree with this that by including Homeric similes along with other similarities to past readings that this shows him to be educated.
ReplyDeleteI think that comparing the Inferno to the Iliad is completely accurate, specifically because Dante is writing fanfiction about a fanfiction. Dante admires Virgil's work, and Virgil admires Homer's. The result of this chain comes out to the mouthful that we see now. While imitation is the highest form of flattery, sometimes it becomes a bit much when the rest of us have to deal with it too.
ReplyDeleteI agree that following Virgil is an important part of why Dante writes in the way that he does. They both imitate other great works, and they both do it well (and politically). As I was reading The Inferno, I kept noting all of the positive conversation and interactions between Dante and Virgil. They are rarely at odds, and if they are it is because Virgil has to gently correct Dante and point him in the right direction. All of the other times, Dante asks questions and Virgil is more than happy to answer and to guide. Virgil even anticipates Dante's questions (maybe because he knows his thoughts). But still, Virgil and Dante are close. Another thing I thought of was that Dante's character follows Virgil, who is his guide, through Hell. In the same way, Dante follows Virgil - by imitating him - in his style of writing. Maybe this symbolizes what he was trying to do with the allusions and imitations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that the reading have become easier to read until we got to Inferno. I found the past couple readings easier to understand, but then I think the Inferno goes back to the complex reading of the ones we have read before.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that, Orion, The chain of admiration and imitation is strong from Dante back to Virgil back to Homer. Three more intensely textually and visually detailed writers it's hard to imagine.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that as we move along the readings become easier. I believe that is because as it becomes more modern it starts to relate more to our time because it is closer to our time. You are also right that there are many similes, and heavy language.
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