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A Modern Reader's Guide to Dante's the Divine Comedy |  | Author: Joseph Gallagher
Publisher: Liguori Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 360726
Media: Paperback
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0764804944
Dewey Decimal Number: 851.1
EAN: 9780764804946
ASIN: 0764804944
Publication Date: February 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780764804946 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
The Divine Comedy has been a cornerstone of Western literature for the better part of a millennium. In this work, Joseph Gallagher brings the power and prestige of this medieval classic to a new generation of readers--taking them on a guided tour through heaven, purgatory, and hell.
(Formerly titled To Hell and Back with Dante)
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 A wonderful guide for the modern reader November 11, 2009
Russell T. Warne
This book is an excellent layman's companion to the Divine Comedy. Through his writing, Gallagher functions as a modern-day Virgil, guiding the reader through all 100 cantos of Dante's magnum opus. Gallagher peels away the obscure references, intricate politics, and esoteric philosophy of Dante's work to reveal the Divine Comedy's enduring core. Gallagher also allows the reader to take in centuries of reaction to Dante by pointing out allusions to the work in the writings of Chaucer, Pound, Shelley, and others. Especially enlightening are the short descriptions and commentary (1-4 pages) of Dante's lesser works, such as the "De Monarchia," "De Vulgari Eloquentia," and his poems. These help prevent Dante from becoming a one hit wonder and situate his Divine Comedy in a better context.
There are a few shortcomings. Gallagher foolishly believes that in "Inferno," Dante is "clearing the record" about literally breaking a baptismal font in Florence's Baptistry in order to save a child. (The event is obviously purely symbolic and refers to his criticism of the Catholic Church.) Gallagher also gets too involved in trying to link some of the symbols to real people/events (like the She-Leopard of Canto I) that do not have any counterpart in reality. But I am nit-picking in this matter, and think that these problems do little to detract from the overall enjoyable experience of Gallagher's book.
I would recommend this text to anyone who is tackling the Divine Comedy for the first time or to any non-scholar who is visiting it again. It's highly readable and clearer than most commentaries.
not the best November 10, 2009
J. C. Woods (Malden, MA USA)
With apologies, I must state the simple truth: Philip Hawkins, Dante: a Brief History Dante: A Brief History (Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion) is the best introduction to Commedia in english. Gallagher is no slouch and this is no put down:Hawkins is just better. I admit that may be prejudiced by the fact that when I started my own book on Inferno Dante's Journey: A Field Guide to the Infernal RegionsI used Gallagher first and discarded it because it was light on detail, and found Dante: a Brief History a big help, and Hawkins other book Dantes Testaments: Essays in Scriptural Imagination (Figurae: Reading Medieval Culture) even more so, but a think Hawkins' book is as well organized as Gallagher's, as engaging and has the advantage on depth.
Divine Comedy made clear April 1, 2009
Lee Gregory Stewart (Dallas, Texas)
Gallagher's review was immensely helpful to me. I am a college graduate in literature but this was my first reading of [[ASIN:0764804944 A Modern Reader's Guide to Dante's the Divine Comedy]. He analyzes each Canto and his book can be used side-by-side with your translation of choice. Sometimes I would read his analyses more than once, then return to Dante with renewed comprehension.
I highly recommend Gallagher's Guide to the uninitiated high school to college graduate: he takes you deeply into the text and decodes the individuals with whom Dante floods the Comedy, characters famous to Dante's contempories but unfamiliar to the contemporary reader. The book is accessible and helpful.
 What Used To Be Called Cliff's Notes March 1, 2009
Seoigheach
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I picked up a copy based on the reviews, but I was shocked by what I found. This is a summary of the various cantos and nothing more.
If you need something to cram for a test and you haven't read the assigned cantos yet, then this may be for you.
On the other hand, if you're in need of a serious introduction (not to mention some kind of knowledgeable annotation), then go to a book with footnotes (Hollander, Singleton, Durling, Musa).
My mistake September 29, 2008
E. Fiorenza
1 out of 19 found this review helpful
I erroneously thought I was ordering the actual Inferno and not a commentary. This is the first item I have ever had to return with Amazon and I am ABSOLUTEY IMPRESSED!!!! It was SOOO easy and my credit was issued quickly.
Thank you!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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