Best version of Dante for kids?

[Entropymama]

I want to go through Dante's Inferno with my rising 6th and 7th graders next year as part of our SOTW 2 year. I'm looking at the John Ciali version, but I'm not sure if it's best. I need something with footnotes because I don't know it well enough to explain it myself. 

[Stellalarella]

I don't know what to recommend for your students, but I know what helped me and made me excited to share it with my 8th grader and 10th grader.

 

Firstly, this video lecture from Hillsdale:  http://online.hillsdale.edu/course/books101/part09/week-9/lecture

 

And Rod Dreher's book, "How Dante Can Save Your Life." 

 

 

 

[kateingr]

I don't know what to recommend for your students, but I know what helped me and made me excited to share it with my 8th grader and 10th grader.

 

Firstly, this video lecture from Hillsdale:  http://online.hillsdale.edu/course/books101/part09/week-9/lecture

 

And Rod Dreher's book, "How Dante Can Save Your Life." 

 

Rod Dreher's book helped me "get" Dante so much better! I'll have to take a look at the lecture. 

 

I liked the notes to the Musa translation a lot for my first time through The Divine Comedy, especially because he offers a synopsis of each canto before you read it. This was very helpful for getting oriented to what was going on in.

 

My second time through I've been reading Anthony Esolen's version. His commentary is less scholarly and more focused on the theological and spiritual meaning of the text. 

 

Depending on how deep you want to go with the book, you might also look at Memoria Press' study guide set. They use Ciardi. 

[Entropymama]

Thanks! I wasn't aware of the study guide, so I'll look into that. 

 

I have never read Dante.  :leaving: Is The Divine Comedy a different book or part of Inferno? I know it has three parts. 

[Stellalarella]

The Inferno is the first of the three parts.  Dante starts out in hell, goes through purgatory and then heaven.

 

It's a mid-life crisis story, of sorts.

 

I wouldn't have your kids read it until you've studied it a bit.    You may decide that you want to go ahead and give them an introduction, or wait till high school.

[Bluegoat]

I like the introduction from the Dorothy Sawyers version, and her notes are great as well.

[kateingr]

Thanks! I wasn't aware of the study guide, so I'll look into that.

 

I have never read Dante. :leaving: Is The Divine Comedy a different book or part of Inferno? I know it has three parts.

I hadn't either until a couple of years ago. (And I still haven't made it through Paradisio. I got stuck after Purgatory the first time through, and now I'm lucky enough to have a friend to read it with. We're almost through Purgatory together, so Paradise, here we come!)

 

I second the recommendation to read it a bit yourself before giving it to your kids. The punishments in hell could definitely disturb a sensitive middle schooler, and the whole thing is complex, challenging poetry with lots of arcane references.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I bought Stories from Dante told to the Children

 

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Dante-Told-Children-Macgregor/dp/150524059X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457722931&sr=8-1&keywords=stories+from+dante+for+children

 

and will be using it with my 10th grader in the fall.  I just wanted to give her familiarity with the plot and whatnot.  I'm not looking at a scholarly study.

[Cleopatra]

Dante's Divine Comedy: As Told For Young People is an excellent introduction.  The author is Italian and a poet as well, so for a short book he does a wonderful job of getting the nuances.  

 

As for reading the original there is a good thread dealing translations here:  http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258793-dante-best-translation/?hl=%2Bdante+%2Btranslations&do=findComment&comment=4513761  Find Ester Maria's comments.  She's an expert.