by Dante Alighieri, translated by John Ciardi
The Divine Comedy was scheduled in Level 6 year 1 (eleventh grade) in the beta Mater Amabilis high school plans. The new plans moved it to tenth, but I wanted First Son to read it so I scheduled it this past year for him. He read two cantos a day, twice a week, finishing each book in a term (with an extra day or two for introductions and an exam). It was far and away his favorite lesson, even though outside of his "epics," he claims to detest poetry.
My favorite book was The Inferno. It's possible one of my younger children will not be prompt enough in lessons to fit quite as much reading in the day as First Son. I may consider only assigning The Inferno or possibly also The Purgatorio without The Paradiso.
We used the Memoria Press student guide and teacher guide for our discussions. Before reading, he would look through the vocabulary in the student guide. After reading, he would narrate the text (and translator's notes), usually in a written narration, and then we'd just read through the questions together. I did not use any of the quizzes or texts. I think the translator notes were extensive enough that the student guide could be skipped, even if you wanted to use the teacher guide to give some question prompts for a discussion. We did frequently talk about how Dante was not a theologian; his ideas about hell, purgatory, and heaven are not Catholic doctrine, and often differ quite a lot from what the Church teaches today.
I have no complaints about John Ciardi's translation. I enjoyed his poetry and appreciated all of his explanations of nuances in the text. His translation notes were helpful as well. Though this book is big because it contains all three books, it is an inexpensive option. A friend, who happens to love reading Dante, told me the Anthony Esolen translations are his new favorite. You may want to compare the translations of a few verses or cantos before choosing. It would be a slight disadvantage to have to buy three different books (Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise) for the Esolen translation, but it's best to choose the one you'll enjoy the most, if you can.
If you search online, you can find many free resources, videos, and lectures on The Divine Comedy (including some by Anthony Esolen), but they're not necessary. There's plenty to enjoy in just reading the books!
First Son has read from Epics for three years: the Odyssey, the Aeneid, the Iliad, Paradise Lost, and The Divine Comedy. He has enjoyed them all immensely.
I have received nothing in exchange for this review. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
