From Homer to Dante: A Spiritual Odyssey
Exploring the spiritual and literary influences on Dante's "Divine Comedy"
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (also known as the Commedia) is a classic work that has inspired and beguiled readers in every generation since the 14th century and continues to do so today. It is a magnificent piece of literature drawing together countless historical, philosophical, theological, and mythological sources. In the Divine Comedy, Dante’s encyclopedic mastery of medieval learning is on full display. For this reason, many prospective readers approach him with some trepidation. Others may be deterred from reading him at all. The purpose of this new series, “From Homer to Dante,” is to invite such readers to accompany me on a journey of literary and self-discovery as we explore Dante’s inspirations, so that we can read the Comedy confidently and profitably—whether it’s our first or fiftieth time.
As you probably know, the Divine Comedy actually comprises 3 books: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Each book treats a specific phase of Dante’s journey through the cosmos, which can be understood symbolically as his soul’s progress from fragmentation to wholeness. Read allegorically, Dante’s journey follows the Biblical pattern of pilgrimage: the soul begins in a state of slavery or exile; is tested and transformed during a period of desert wandering; and finally attains freedom and blessedness in the promised land. In short, Dante progresses from a condition of internal darkness and alienation to one of enlightenment and homecoming. On the physical level, it’s a voyage from the center of the earth to the farthest circumference of the universe; on the spiritual level, it’s a journey of gnosis in the opposite direction—from the periphery of human knowledge to the center of the all-knowing Mind of the universe.
Given its sober subject matter, some readers may wonder why Dante called his work a comedy? Simply put, the comic theme is a fictional mode whereby (in Christian literature, at least) the trajectory of the plot aims towards salvation.1 Its hero typically begins as a social outcast, endures many labors and plot twists, and is finally integrated into his desired society by the end of the story. For Dante, that society is nothing less than the community of saints and angels enjoying the vision of God in heaven, or the Empyrean. (Side note: Dante’s cosmology of the heavens is a fascinating subject in its own right. I’ve just completed a graduate paper on this topic and will be sharing excerpts in future posts to help orient you to his medieval astronomy.)
Our reading experience will cover the three books of the Divine Comedy and its literary antecedents in order, which I describe briefly below. This is only a sketch of the readings I have planned. I’ll post assignments and links as we go along. Of course, the richest experience will be derived from doing your own reading and reflection. But anyone who is interested in this project is welcome to listen in and learn, if they don’t have time for outside reading.
Exile
Dante’s first book in the Comedy is the Inferno, whose themes are sin, rebellion, and man’s alienation from God. The readings I’ve planned capture the disorientation and moral dysfunction that Dante dramatizes in Inferno. Starting with the theme of "being lost in a dark wood" (Inferno, Canto I), our meditations will explore lost purposes, moral failure, and estrangement from divine grace. Related readings from Genesis and Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Creation and the Fall) highlight the biblical and mythological roots of human exile. Further selections in The Iliad and Greek tragedy will illustrate the effects of pride, wrath, and hubris, aligning with Dante’s descent into Inferno, where he encounters unrepentant souls corrupted by these same flaws. Of course we’ll also spend some time with Virgil’s Aeneid which provides Dante with his basic scheme of the Underworld.
Desert Wandering
Midway in our literary tour, we’ll consider themes of purification and spiritual striving, corresponding to the penitential journey of Purgatorio. Readings in Exodus will explore desert wandering as a metaphor for the soul's struggle toward redemption, paralleled by Odysseus' wanderings in Homer’s Odyssey. Excerpts from the Psalms and Isaiah introduce penitential prayer and lamentation, reflecting the spiritual dynamics of Purgatory, where the soul seeks reconciliation and the beatific ascent. We’ll also return to the Aeneid and Metamorphoses to consider myths of transformation. Dante is much indebted to the writings of Augustine of Hippo, especially his famous Confessions that lend the Divine Comedy its autobiographical tone, and we’ll read some passages along the theme of repentance and conversion.
Promised Land
Finally, we’ll meditate on heaven as the ultimate Promised Land and goal of Dante’s spiritual journey, bringing divine union and eternal happiness. In this final book of the Comedy, Dante will attain to what is called the “beatific vision” - the unveiled vision of God which is our final gladness. In preparation for reading this book, we’ll reflect on some of Dante’s favorite sources. In addition to many of the works with which we’ll already have become familiar, we’ll explore the Pauline epistles, Boethius and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Thomas Aquinas, and even the scientific writings of Ptolemy, Aristotle, and the Arab polymath, Ibn al-Haytham, 965–1040 (also known as Alhazen) as we reflect on Dante’s use of celestial imagery and theological themes to illustrate the joy and fulfillment of Paradise.
As we make this spiritual and literary journey, I will be providing resources and reading guides to assist you. One of the benefits of reading the Great Books is that they are all in the public domain (although certain translations are still protected by copyright laws). Although I may recommend certain books from time to time, I will endeavor to provide links to all of the readings so you can obtain a complete education in this course for free! Whatever your current level of education or reading experience, have confidence that all of these works have something to offer any reader who is willing to take the time for thoughtful reading. I will also offer reflections and tips on how to become a better reader for yourself. Many of these will be inspired by the work of Mortimer J. Adler, specifically How to Read a Book. See my previous posts on a related subject here, here, and here.
Ultimately, however, the purpose of this journey is not to become a better reader per se —although you will, if you stick with me—but to become a more wholly integrated person. As Dante’s allegory teaches us, on some level we are all being invited to a journey from dysfunction to human flourishing by purging our faults and learning to harmonize our souls with the cosmos. I hope that reading Dante and his literary inspirations will give us plenty to reflect on as we make our own way in life. Please come along with me and share your experiences and insights in the comments.
Northrop Frye, Anatomy of Criticism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1957).
I hope you get to work in Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross
Thanks for the tour. I haven't read this since college (85). It will be nice to revisit the subject matter, since I've begun my physical declination. It'll be a hoot to revisit it with older eyes.