Nancy in NH Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 My son is interested in reading Dante's Divine Comedy. For those who have tackled this, how long did you devote to it? Also, if you had any favorite supplemental resources that aided your study, I would love to hear about them. Thanks!Nancy in NH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhschool Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 DS read Inferno and part of Purgatorio. Took a few weeks. He discussed it in a book club with two really nice leaders. I think they took a few weeks only--no more than 1 month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 The Divine Comedy is going to take up however much time you wish to devote. After all, there are people who spend their entire lives studying Dante.. DD read the Inferno and most of the Purgatory. She spent about 10 weeks to 3 months. As additional resource, we used the Teaching Company lectures Dante’s Divine Comedy by. William Cook and Ronald Herzman There is a free lecture series from Yale http://oyc.yale.edu/italian-language-and-literature/ital-310 It's an upper level course which we tried, but found too technical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Any suggestions of good translations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Any suggestions of good translations? I asked this questions a few years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/ and received fantastic input from people who really know Dante and not only compared translations in detail but also gave suggestion on which Cantos to focus. That thread is so valuable! We have chosen the Mandelbaum translation for the kids; I have read the Ciardi translation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I asked this questions a few years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/ and received fantastic input from people who really know Dante and not only compared translations in detail but also gave suggestion on which Cantos to focus. That thread is so valuable! We have chosen the Mandelbaum translation for the kids; I have read the Ciardi translation. Thanks! That'll help! Looking at link...I miss EM. Really liked her opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Thank you. I guess I'll plan on devoting a semester to it, unless, of course DS's enthusiasm fizzles. Already have the Teaching Company videos in my cart. I'm sure we'll need the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaTotaler Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Ds and I read and discussed Inferno over a month (I think). We also used the TC lectures. Another resource - Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy by Peter J. Leithart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Is there a preferred translation suggested by the professors for the Teaching Company lectures? Nancy The Divine Comedy is going to take up however much time you wish to devote. After all, there are people who spend their entire lives studying Dante.. DD read the Inferno and most of the Purgatory. She spent about 10 weeks to 3 months. As additional resource, we used the Teaching Company lectures Dante’s Divine Comedy by. William Cook and Ronald Herzman There is a free lecture series from Yale http://oyc.yale.edu/italian-language-and-literature/ital-310 It's an upper level course which we tried, but found too technical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 An almost sure winner is to have the student write their own levels of hell. I remembered this assignment well from high school English over 30 years ago, and my kids got into it as well. It can be dead serious or played for laughs. I really wanted them to do a Home Schooler's Hell, with the lowest circle reserved for those who ask "but what about socialization?" but they went the serious route, and doled out some very harsh punishments. My main requirement was that, like Dante, they put some thought into matching the punishment to the crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 My daughter enjoyed the multimedia approach of the DanteWorlds website when she was reading the Divine Comedy. She's very visual, and this site has all kinds of clickable images with explanatory notes, an artists' gallery, audio recordings of significant verses (in Italian), and study guide questions. I worked through the Inferno with her, but left her alone for the other two volumes. With these helps, she was able to make it through & enjoy Purgatory and Paradise on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 Wow, this is an awesome resource, Kathy! Thanks so much for sharing. I think my ds will love this. My daughter enjoyed the multimedia approach of the DanteWorlds website when she was reading the Divine Comedy. She's very visual, and this site has all kinds of clickable images with explanatory notes, an artists' gallery, audio recordings of significant verses (in Italian), and study guide questions. I worked through the Inferno with her, but left her alone for the other two volumes. With these helps, she was able to make it through & enjoy Purgatory and Paradise on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 Interesting assignment! Thanks for sharing. An almost sure winner is to have the student write their own levels of hell. I remembered this assignment well from high school English over 30 years ago, and my kids got into it as well. It can be dead serious or played for laughs. I really wanted them to do a Home Schooler's Hell, with the lowest circle reserved for those who ask "but what about socialization?" but they went the serious route, and doled out some very harsh punishments. My main requirement was that, like Dante, they put some thought into matching the punishment to the crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Oh, and this video is not to be missed! Info about The Divine Comedy, sung to Blondie's "Rapture." My kids still occasionally break out singing this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I asked this questions a few years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/ and received fantastic input from people who really know Dante and not only compared translations in detail but also gave suggestion on which Cantos to focus. That thread is so valuable! We have chosen the Mandelbaum translation for the kids; I have read the Ciardi translation. Thanks much for the link to the thread. I've made notes from it and am giving up on the decision and getting both Mandelbaum and Ciardi. Boy can pick his preference, I'll read the other, and we'll discuss differences :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Mint Hill Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Thanks much for the link to the thread. I've made notes from it and am giving up on the decision and getting both Mandelbaum and Ciardi. Boy can pick his preference, I'll read the other, and we'll discuss differences :) I like this idea! :) Those were the two translations that I zeroed in on, too. When I was studying this with a class of 9th graders it was fun to pick out passages that we liked in the English and then play that part in Italian, from the audio files here: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/ Just to have the experience of the original poetry. And another very inspiring thing--look up youtube clips of Roberto Benigni (star of Life is Beautiful) reading Dante to audiences. If one is going to buy just one book, I recommend people buy this one by the poet, Ciardi: http://www.amazon.co...o/dp/0451208633 Because all three parts in one nice volume--I just couldn't bear having my students stop with the Inferno, and miss Paradise!! Why would anyone want to leave their students in the depths of hell? The last lines are SO beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I like this idea! :) Those were the two translations that I zeroed in on, too. When I was studying this with a class of 9th graders it was fun to pick out passages that we liked in the English and then play that part in Italian, from the audio files here: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/ Just to have the experience of the original poetry. And another very inspiring thing--look up youtube clips of Roberto Benigni (star of Life is Beautiful) reading Dante to audiences. If one is going to buy just one book, I recommend people buy this one by the poet, Ciardi: http://www.amazon.co...o/dp/0451208633 Because all three parts in one nice volume--I just couldn't bear having my students stop with the Inferno, and miss Paradise!! Why would anyone want to leave their students in the depths of hell? The last lines are SO beautiful. Thanks for the audio link!!! Ds is excited about the books. He wanted to read the Inferno and if that's all he does, that's fine with me, but I did want him to have access to the whole book. The Mandelbaum also is in one volume. Both look neat :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orelbeilinson Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I spent 20 hours on it in an Overview of Italian Literature course, and about 30 in an AP English class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 My 10th grader is using the Mark Musa translations in conjunction with the VP Omnibus study sessions (offline, self-paced) and is finishing up Paradisio. He has been working through them since March or so, and really enjoying them. I'd say he devotes 4-6 hours per week between reading and evaluation activities. We've taken a couple week-long breaks in these months, but I'd say he's got 40-50 hours invested, thus far. He really likes this translation and it's also helped him develop a deeper appreciation for poetry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Double post, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele B Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I recommend the Dorothy Sayers translation; I realize it is not a popular choice. She uses terza rima which gives it a very nice flow. Even if you do not use her translation, her notes are invaluable. Ms. Sayers was catholic - sharing the religion of the author provides insights that may have been neglected by others who tend discount his religion in favor of his political machinations. When I got my English degree, I am sure I scoffed at Dante's religious motivations and simply said with so many others, "he put his enemies in hell and his friends in heaven," etc. Dorothy Sayer's notes opened my eyes to the religious and linguistic subtleties throughout this work. I am not saying that one needs to be catholic to "get" this work, but I am saying that a co-religionist provides a unique vantage point. She also offers quotations C. S. Lewis and Charles Williams throughout her work as well. Just something to consider. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Mint Hill Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Thanks for the audio link!!! Ds is excited about the books. He wanted to read the Inferno and if that's all he does, that's fine with me, but I did want him to have access to the whole book. The Mandelbaum also is in one volume. Both look neat :) Oh great! I didn't see a one volume version of Mandelbaum when I was looking into it. I loved Mandelbaum's lyrical tone, too. Guess I was just perusing bookshelves in all the bookstores back in 'those days.' Its also very fun to trace and compare the architectonics (which are amazing!) of the three parts of the Comedia. Normally I shy away from too much analysis of a literary work, but you miss so much if you don't look into these kinds of things with Dante! For instance, one of my favorite things to do is compare the last lines of each of the books: Inferno: He first, I second, without thought of rest we climbed the dark until we reached the point where a round opening brought in sight the blest and beauteous shining of the Heavenly cars. And we walked out once more beneath the Stars. Purgatorio: I came back from those holiest waters new, remade, reborn, like a sun-wakened tree that spreads new foliage to the Spring dew in sweetest freshness, healed of Winter's scars; perfect pure, and ready for the Stars. Paradisio: Here my powers rest from their high fantasy, but already I could feel my being turned-- instinct and intellect balanced equally as in a wheel whose motion nothing jars-- by the Love that moves the Sun and the other Stars. (these lines are from this edition by Ciardi) See the 'stars' motif? One small example of the sorts of things you miss when you own just a copy of The Inferno. No, I am not saying that a student should take the time to read the WHOLE thing their first time around. (A few might!) But the study of this great work in school should simply be a 'whetting of the appetite' for a deeper delving into it when one is older. Speaking of the world of literature, T.S. Eliot said, "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them -- there is no third." One of the benefits of studying works such as La Comedia is to understand a little more of Eliot's poetry, and the medieval mind, too! I've often thought it would be fun to design an integrated history and literature course on the Late Middle Ages, with Dante's work as a spine. Because the history of the Italian states during the 13th century is so fascinating and entwined with Dante's poetry. Daileader's lectures would provide a nice backdrop (one of the Great Courses)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I asked this questions a few years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/ and received fantastic input from people who really know Dante and not only compared translations in detail but also gave suggestion on which Cantos to focus. That thread is so valuable! We have chosen the Mandelbaum translation for the kids; I have read the Ciardi translation. I really know nothing about this and am not there yet with dd but I LOVED reading that thread. Thank you so much for linking it, it was wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I asked this questions a few years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/ and received fantastic input from people who really know Dante and not only compared translations in detail but also gave suggestion on which Cantos to focus. That thread is so valuable! We have chosen the Mandelbaum translation for the kids; I have read the Ciardi translation. That thread was great. I had DS read the samples and tell me what he thought. He picked Sayers overall and claimed a couple sounded much too modern. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Thank you all for this ongoing conversation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 My ds and I have been going back and forth between Ciardi and Mandelbaum. I hadn't considered discussing the differences. I like this idea! Thanks much for the link to the thread. I've made notes from it and am giving up on the decision and getting both Mandelbaum and Ciardi. Boy can pick his preference, I'll read the other, and we'll discuss differences :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 The Princeton Dante Project looks great. Thanks so much for sharing the resource. I like this idea! :) Those were the two translations that I zeroed in on, too. When I was studying this with a class of 9th graders it was fun to pick out passages that we liked in the English and then play that part in Italian, from the audio files here: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/ Just to have the experience of the original poetry. And another very inspiring thing--look up youtube clips of Roberto Benigni (star of Life is Beautiful) reading Dante to audiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Good to know--I will keep this in mind. Thanks for the suggestion! I recommend the Dorothy Sayer's translation; I realize it is not a popular choice. She uses terza rima which gives it a very nice flow. Even if you do not use her translation, her notes are invaluable. Ms. Sayers was catholic - sharing the religion of the author provides insights that may have been neglected by others who tend discount his religion in favor of his political machinations. When I got my English degree, I am sure I scoffed at Dante's religious motivations and simply said with so many others, "he put is enemies in hell and his friends in heaven," etc. Dorothy Sayer's notes opened my eyes to the religious and linguistic subtleties throughout this work. I am not saying that one needs to be catholic to "get" this work, but I am saying that a co-religionist provides a unique vantage point. She also offers quotations C. S. Lewis and Charles Williams throughout her work as well. Just something to consider. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Your comment makes me wish we could study the history along with it, but ds has to crank out government and economics this year. Maybe we can squeeze in the lectures, though. Hmmm… More to consider. Speaking of the world of literature, T.S. Eliot said, "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them -- there is no third." One of the benefits of studying works such as La Comedia is to understand a little more of Eliot's poetry, and the medieval mind, too! I've often thought it would be fun to design an integrated history and literature course on the Late Middle Ages, with Dante's work as a spine. Because the history of the Italian states during the 13th century is so fascinating and entwined with Dante's poetry. Daileader's lectures would provide a nice backdrop (one of the Great Courses)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Over lunch yesterday I told my son, who really likes the Mark Musa translation, about the Dorothy Sayers translation and his eyes lit up. I guess we'll be adding it to our library! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H0MEFree Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 The Divine Comedy is going to take up however much time you wish to devote. After all, there are people who spend their entire lives studying Dante.. Agree. We did not spend much time on it. Did not feel it really need it, whereas other material did seem more worth deeper study. But your family may decide to put a general timeline such as 2 wks each book or something simlar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thanks! That'll help! Looking at link...I miss EM. Really liked her opinions. Yep. She was definitely good for keeping ones game sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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