Week 1 of my summer studies is complete!

This week I read Cantos I–XIII of the Inferno and Books I–III of the Confessions by St. Augustine. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading. Dante’s depiction of Hell is vivid and imaginative, and after reading this first portion of the poem, Hell seems both more terrible and more fascinating than I had previously imagined.

Before delving into the Inferno, I pictured Hell as a drab, fiery pit of little distinction. Dante’s vision is something entirely different. Rather than a chaotic abyss, Hell is carefully ordered. Each punishment corresponds to a particular sin, revealing not only God’s justice but also the nature of the sin itself.

The structure of Hell has been one of the most interesting aspects of the poem thus far. By the end of Canto XIII, Dante and Virgil have passed through seven of Hell’s nine circles:

  • First Circle — Limbo (Canto IV)
    • Virtuous pagans and unbaptized infants.
    • Home of Virgil, Homer, and other great ancient thinkers.
  • Second Circle — Lust (Canto V)
    • Souls swept endlessly through a violent storm.
    • Includes Francesca da Rimini and Paolo.
  • Third Circle — Gluttony (Canto VI)
    • The gluttonous lie beneath a cold and filthy rain.
  • Fourth Circle — Avarice and Prodigality (Canto VII)
    • Misers and spendthrifts roll great weights against one another in endless conflict.
  • Fifth Circle — Wrath and Sullenness (Cantos VII–VIII)
    • The wrathful fight upon the surface of the Styx.
    • The sullen remain submerged beneath its waters.
  • Sixth Circle — Heresy (Cantos IX–XI)
    • Heretics are confined within burning tombs.
  • Seventh Circle — Violence (Cantos XII–XIII)
    • Violence against neighbors (murderers and tyrants).
    • Violence against self (the Wood of the Suicides).

What has struck me most is how each punishment reflects the sin being punished. The lustful are driven by passions they cannot control and are therefore driven eternally by a storm. The wrathful spend eternity fighting, while the sullen, who withdrew from the good things of life, are buried beneath the waters of the Styx. Dante’s punishments are not arbitrary, but fitting.

Alongside Dante, I also began Augustine’s Confessions. Though very different in style, both works begin with the same reality: man is lost apart from God. Augustine recounts his wandering through sin and error, while Dante depicts himself lost in a dark wood. Both journeys begin with man’s need for grace.

As for driving, my father’s well-deserved sabbatical began this week. We visited friends in Tuscola, Illinois, while staying in a wonderful Amish Airbnb. After a few days there, we concluded this week’s travels by visiting my grandparents in Pittsfield, Illinois, and attending the eightieth anniversary celebration of their church.

These long drives provided plenty of time for reading and studying, allowing me to make substantial progress through both Dante and Augustine.

Goodbye for now. I look forward to what this next week has in store. I am also hoping to post my notes on the Inferno at some point in the near future.

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