Walking With Dante

Mark Scarbrough
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Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.

  1. 2 days ago

    Returning Home Through The Music Of The Spheres: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 61 - 93

    Our pilgrim finds everything doubled in brightness . . . because he's begun to fly up to the heavens, although he doesn't know it at first. He's too busy figuring out all that light . . . and listening to the music of the spheres. But Beatrice is there to set him straight and tell him that his ascent is faster than he could ever understand. She also redefines "home"--not the Italian peninsula, nor the Garden of Eden, but the highest heaven, where they're headed in this journey to the final vision. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our flight among the planets and stars to head home. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [00:49] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 61 - 93. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment to continue the conversation, please find this episode's entry on my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:34] Glaucus, the fisherman who becomes a sea-god. [05:01] Glossing lines 61 - 72: the changing light and pilgrim. [10:14] Glossing lines 73 - 75: the mind/body problem. [13:19] Glossing lines 76 - 84: the sempiternal music of the spheres. [18:55] Glossing lines 85 - 93: Beatrice's answer to an unasked question. [21:00] How a guy transhumans--and how this guy translates some hard lines. [28:06] There is always more light. [30:06] Wonder and awe are not ends in themselves. [32:03] Life is an on-going redefinition of "home." [34:30] Rereading PARADISO, Canto I, lines 61 - 93.

  2. 5 days ago

    Staring at the Sun: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 37 - 60

    The plot gets underway in PARADISO. Our pilgrim Dante turns to Beatrice . . . who is paying him no attention. She's staring at the sun. So he does the same! He hasn't even left earth, yet the miraculous nature of his story is already in high gear. As is his understanding of the universe ahead of him. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we experience Beatrice's return to the poem and the pilgrim's new mode of reflecting her glory. If you'd like to help underwrite this work, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:19] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 37 - 60. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me through a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:23] In PARADISO plot comes second. [06:06] Where are we? Cosmology and geography in the first three tercets. [12:26] Dante explains the vernal equinox by the geocentric crossings of various circles around the globe. [16:16] PARADISO is based on locations that its readers can observe in real time. [19:18] Beatrice returns to the poem and manifests her ray of light. [26:07] The pilgrim wishes to return home--but where is that? [28:21] PARADISO excels at unanswered questions. [30:24] The sparks fly from the sun . . . or from the sphere of fire. [34:00] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 37 - 60.

  3. 29 Jul

    A Polyvocal Passage With All Its Dissonances: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 13 - 36

    Our poet moves from his scholastic and even (medieval) scientific opening of PARADISO into his invocation . . . to Apollo? This passage has often embarrassed Dante scholars who feel the need to excuse various pieces of it. But we can let those pieces stand as part of the polyvocality of the text. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we move back and forth from the Christian to the pagan as we walk through this second part of Dante's opening lines of PARADISO. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:11] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 13 - 36. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me via a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:09] This passage embarrasses too many Dante scholars. [09:14] This passage is polyvocal, a two-part fugue or invention. [17:59] These two voices lead to dissonances in the passage. [23:36] Did Dante intend these dissonances? [25:20] Three small dissonances: Dante crowns himself, fights in an arena, and find his worth in two places at once. [28:32] Marsyas, a comedic tragedy. [32:01] The flame of the tongue, Pentecost, or maybe Ulysses. [34:48] A high-toned, perhaps red-flag reference to Cyrrha. [35:55] An inaccurate but telling reference to Parnassus. [39:07] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 13 - 36.

  4. 26 Jul

    Welcome to a Renegotiated Poem: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12

    From its opening lines, it's clear that PARADISO is not like what has come before in COMEDY. Dante seems to be renegotiating the terms of his poem, establishing a new voice, a new model, and a new methodology for who he will proceed. These opening lines are already packed with the sort of theological and philosophical stumbling blocks that make PARADISO a challenge, not just for a modern reader, but even for a medieval one. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we slowly walk throug the first twelve lines of what is assuredly the most imaginative canticle, PARADISO. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [02:42] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, lines 1 - 12. If you'd like to read along, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:56] The glory of the unmoved mover. [09:39] The varying illuminations of the universe. [13:27] The finite geography of heaven. [15:54] A passing glance at the highest heaven. [17:34] Dante and St. Paul, renegotiated. [19:25] The interrelations of desire, intellect, memory, and potentially Beatrice. [22:23] The memory of a memory--or knowing by not knowing, the core of the aphophatic revelation. [29:37] The key paradox of the mystical experience: the cross-currents of the material and the immaterial. [33:02] The resurrection of Brunetto Latini. [35:25] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12.

  5. 26 Apr

    Final Thoughts On PURGATORIO

    We've reached the end of our time on the great mountain of Purgatory . . . and in the great second canticle of COMEDY. Here are some final thoughts, an attempt to bring our time with this part of the poem to a close. Dante has worked hard to make PURGATORIO the hinge of his entire poem. Let's explore some ways it reflects back on INFERNO and looks ahead to PARADISO. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:01] PURGATORIO is an inversion of INFERNO. [02:54] PURGATORIO is most human part of COMEDY. [04:34] PURGATORIO is a rehearsal of the structure of the New Testament. [07:29] PURGATORIO is a meta-commentary on the writing of INFERNO. [09:45] PURGATORIO is the end of one sort of poem and the beginning of another. [10:35] PURGATORIO ends with two unique creations by Dante. [12:01] Where do the souls go when they are lifted out of Limbo? [13:46] Why does PURGATORIO end with the virtue of purity? [15:48] Is the will truly the necessary, sufficient, and final cause of a soul's purgation?

  6. 19 Apr

    The Seven Addresses To The Reader In PURGATORIO

    Dante, the poet, steps out of the story seven times in PURGATORIO to address his reader directly--sometimes to spur the reader on to action, sometimes to put a bridle on the reader's intentions or thoughts. If we trace these seven addresses, can we find a developmental pattern? Or uncover Dante's changing attitude toward his work? Or toward his reader? Can we see a growing frustration or even fear about what lies ahead in COMEDY? Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work our way through these seven call-outs to find ways to summarize the greater work and ingenuity of PURGATORIO. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:31] PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, Lines 19 - 21. [05:23] PURGATORIO, Canto IX, Lines 70 - 72. [08:00] PURGATORIO, Canto X, Lines 106 - 111. [11:55] PURGATORIO, Canto XVII, Lines 1 - 9. [15:39] PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 97 - 105. [19:20] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 124 - 126. [22:22] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 136 - 138.

  7. 12 Apr

    Dante's Theories Of Writing Across INFERNO and PURGATORIO

    As one of three sum-up episode to conclude our time on Mount Purgatory, this one’s about Dante’s conception of what he’s doing when he’s writing, outlined in nine selected passages from INFERNO and PURGATORIO. We’ve moved far enough into the poem that we can see the ways the poet has changed, hedged, and developed his theories of how and why he’s writing COMEDY. Given that one of my theses is that COMEDY is a poem in process, we can then trace some sort of developmental curve in Dante’s thinking about what he’s doing as a poet. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through Dante's possible theories on his own craft. If you'd like to help underwrite this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here. Here are the nine selected passages for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:21] INFERNO, Canto III, lines 1 - 12 [05:02] INFERNO, Canto XV, lines 88 - 96a. [09:42] PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 106 - 114. [13:01] PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, lines 70 - 72. [15:36] PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, lines 49 - 60. [19:24] PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, lines 97 - 102. [22:05] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 52 - 57. [24:53] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 76 - 78. [27:33] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 139 - 141.

  8. 8 Apr

    All The Hopeful Ambiguity Of The Second Canticle: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 124 - 145

    We come to the end of the second canticle, of PURGATORIO . . . and it includes all the ambiguity and humanness we've come to expect, plus hopeful notes for the journey ahead into Paradise. Dante complicates his ending of PURGATORIO with notes about his own dark mind and the incomplete work of this second part of his masterpiece COMEDY. At the same time, we're ready for the stars. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the final passage of PURGATORIO. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:22] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 124 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:26] Dante, ever the medieval poet, no matter how modern we try to make him. [05:28] The final address to the reader in PURGATORIO and the tricky question of the "woven bridle." [10:58] Matelda, apparently doing what she's always done . . . which only makes her character more complex. [12:49] The threat to memory, the threat to COMEDY as a whole. [15:23] Four hopeful notes that conclude PURGATORIO. [17:55] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 124 - 145.

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About

Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Scarbrough
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    495
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Mark Scarbrough
  • Show Website
    Walking With Dante

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