Dante's Divine Comedy

[MamaBearTeacher]

Is there anything in this that would not be appropriate for children/adolescents?

[Mergath]

Have you read it? The Inferno is a tour of hell. People are tortured. It's not pleasant.

[Farrar]

Adolescents, sure. I mean, I read excerpts in high school. It's not one that I would give to kids. I've never heard of there being a children's version and there's definitely a reason.

 

Plenty of better stuff from that period for younger readers anyway - late medieval stuff that does have children's versions.

[regentrude]

I consider the Divine Comedy inappropriate for children in its entirety. Not just because of torture and cannibalism - a child would not understand enough to make it worthwhile. Some works are better saved for older students. This is one of them.

[Erica in OR]

This is one of the recommended books in TWTM (second edition is the one I have), for sixth grade readers. It suggests Cantos I–V, using either the translation by Allen Mandelbaum or Robert Pinsky.

 

I purchased a copy, but we haven't gotten there yet. Ditch and move on to the next?

 

Erica in OR

[Mergath]

This is one of the recommended books in TWTM (second edition is the one I have), for sixth grade readers. It suggests Cantos I–V, using either the translation by Allen Mandelbaum or Robert Pinsky.

 

I purchased a copy, but we haven't gotten there yet. Ditch and move on to the next?

 

Erica in OR

 

Imo, a sixth grader wouldn't get enough out of it to make it worthwhile. I don't think the torture starts until after the first five cantos, but it's not exactly light reading. I studied it in-depth in college, and I don't know that a sixth grader would be able to fully understand the context and the references. Ymmv, but I'd probably save it for high school. 

[Carol in Cal.]

There is a kids' version you could use for an overview, in My Book House, if you have that series.

[almondbutterandjelly]

We read the children's version from Real Reads in middle school:

http://realreads.co.uk/dante/titles/

 

I did just get Stories from Dante told to the Children, but I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if it would be appropriate for a 6th grader.  I bought it for my 10th grader and I to read together.

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Dante-Told-Children-Macgregor/dp/150524059X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461596717&sr=8-1&keywords=stories+from+dante

[SilverMoon]

There's also Dante's Divine Comedy: As Told for Young People by Joseph Tusiani. I haven't read it yet. It's on my list to get through for my 7th grader to get a great connection in his current literature course. This is a well read, fairly mature 7th grader who's been reading or listening to classics all his life, has already listened to his older brother and I having many discussions about Divine Comedy, and probably overheard some of the Great Course lectures on it.

 

That said, unless there's a compelling reason for them to have an early familiarity with Dante I'd just wait until high school. Dante just doesn't lend himself as well to the "picture book in grammar stage, well written retelling in logic, original/translation in rhetoric" method. This method has worked fabulously for Gilgamesh, Homer, and such though.

Edited April 25, 2016 by SilverMoon

[Bluegoat]

We read the children's version from Real Reads in middle school:

http://realreads.co.uk/dante/titles/

 

I did just get Stories from Dante told to the Children, but I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if it would be appropriate for a 6th grader.  I bought it for my 10th grader and I to read together.

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Dante-Told-Children-Macgregor/dp/150524059X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461596717&sr=8-1&keywords=stories+from+dante

 

I think the Stories from Dante... is available at THe Baldwin project.

 

 

I think those kinds of stories - much like their Stories from PLato... can be fun, nice stories, in and of themselves, that are part of our cultural heritage. 

 

I don't really think I would consider them as reading Dante, though.  You don't get the overall structure, you don't get the poetry even in translation, you don't get the theological or philosophical point.

 

In general, if the interest is really in Dante, I would read the whole thing with a teen. Which means all three parts, because the point of the thing only comes out if you read it to the end. 

 

Some excerpts that are particularly famous or found as literary allusions might be suitable to look at earlier in a more limited way. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

I think the Stories from Dante... is available at THe Baldwin project.

 

 

I think those kinds of stories - much like their Stories from PLato... can be fun, nice stories, in and of themselves, that are part of our cultural heritage. 

 

I don't really think I would consider them as reading Dante, though.  You don't get the overall structure, you don't get the poetry even in translation, you don't get the theological or philosophical point.

 

In general, if the interest is really in Dante, I would read the whole thing with a teen. Which means all three parts, because the point of the thing only comes out if you read it to the end. 

 

Some excerpts that are particularly famous or found as literary allusions might be suitable to look at earlier in a more limited way. 

 

Good point.  Depends on what your goals are for reading Dante.  Personally, my goal is cultural awareness and familiarity in general with the plot.

[Reefgazer]

DD read the first four cantos in 7th grade. There was nothing particularly objectionable there, but I wouldn't go any further (for reasons others have posted), and I'd save the full work for high school. DD was able to grasp the bit we read very well, and we had some terrific discussions. But we also I used a literature guide. IMO, a student with a religious, catholic background would have an easier time understanding the work without needing additional explanations. DD did need an explanation here and there.

 

This is one of the recommended books in TWTM (second edition is the one I have), for sixth grade readers. It suggests Cantos I–V, using either the translation by Allen Mandelbaum or Robert Pinsky.

 

I purchased a copy, but we haven't gotten there yet. Ditch and move on to the next?

 

Erica in OR

Edited April 26, 2016 by reefgazer

[Jamee]

High school son and I read an annotated version and listened to the Great Courses lectures.  I wish I hadn't taken so long to read it and really enjoyed it.  I think being able to go deep into it in high school would be better.

[OnMyOwn]

I wouldn't use it with a young child.  My kids read it for their omnibus class when they were in 9th and 7th grades.  It did not phase my dd at all, but it depressed my son.  We had to have some long talks about how he was not going to be going to Hell, no matter what.  Frankly, if we could have skipped that one altogether, I would have.

Edited April 28, 2016 by OnMyOwn