2020 Reflection: Commedia

The date Commedia was written isn't exactly known but it was published 1320 by Dante Alighieri. So obviously this series is a clear outlier in my favorite series. Firstly it's literature, poetry even. Secondly it's foreign literature. Thirdly it's ancient foreign literature. ALL of that being said, the Commedia has an important place for me as the birthplace of humanism and I do love that ever since being introduced to it in school. To talk about it is kind of odd regardless. I'm not really an academic, I can read classical literature and went to college and such, but it's not generally how I talk or think. Commedia is an epic poem, meaning a longrunning poem telling a singular narrative, about the poet Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven and is a metaphor for the fall, redemption and exaltation of humanity. 

3 reasons I love it:

Some believe the Commedia to be the most perfect work in fiction, and if perfect means "has changed the world for the better" or means "lacking flaws" then I would probably concur. 

1: It's humanism. Dante's humanism and love for humanity resonantes in every canto of the poem. His empathy for the damned and his rejoicing in the exalted. The Commedia was different in that it structured an epic poem, reserved for greek demigods or christian saints, and made it about a humble poet, himself. And not just him, he makes it from the very first line the story of humanity (midway upon the journey of "our" life). The poem constantly exalts mankind's position as the thinking, feeling, soulful, powerful animal, made in the divine image. The most moving part of the poem for me in particular is in the final canto. Before Dante sees God, he is with the Virgin Mary, who in the Christian Tradition represents the perfect human, the kind of being the old stories were told about. Dante prays that he doesn't fall short, that the story of a humble poet can be as important as the stories of the heroes and saints. Dante's story transformed the world to exalt all of our positions.

2: It's imagery. Dante created the most incredible moving pieces of imagery in the written language. His descriptions of the damned and the horrible suffering of those whose humanity is lost is enough to break one's heart and his descriptions of the perfect celestial order of Heaven and the transcendent nature of divine love are enough bewilder me with how any human could think of things so abstractly perfect.

3: It's incredible hybridization of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions. The Renaissance was the time the Greco-Roman philosophies were rediscovered. In that sense, I think of Dante as the first Renaissance man, the birth of modern times. It's a work that merges the Judeo-Christian worldview with Greco-Roman philosophy and mythology in a way that I think really enhances them. I am very fond of the genre of mythological fantasy, fantasy set in the worlds of real mythologies, and this was a very interesting fusion.

3 Flaws:

I definitely think that the Commedia is the least flawed work in fiction, and far be it for humble me to critisize one of, possibly the greatest fictional work to ever be made. That said these are some of the things I didn't like as much.

1: It's occasional ethical alien-ness. For a person of our time, especially for someone who isn't a Christian like me, the ethics proclaimed in the Commedia can seem quite alien and rather harsh to say the least. People are condemned to Hell for not believing in the Christian God or for homosexuality. The worst for me was that the unbaptized children are sent to Limbo, which while it lacks any torment, is still a part of Hell away from God's love forever. Surely an infant who was not baptized has done nothing wrong to deserve a loving God's punishment?  The only real defense for this section is that it's more fair then other works of it's time, which is a bit of a cold comfort. 

2: It's difficulty. I am pretty good at reading classical literature, but I can't deny it can be a bit difficult at times, and for a lot of people I know the poem is very difficult to actually read, just because of the archaic language and the incredible density of the material. Again, the only real defense I can give is that it's easier then other works made at the same time which, while probably true, is not hugely helpful.

3: On occasion, particularly at the start of a canto, Dante has a tendency to go off on a tangent. You'll be a few dozen lines down and he'll still be on the long metaphor he started at the start of the canto. Usually this connects to the point Dante was trying to make but often it's only loosely connected, and it often related to the politics of his day, which I both don't know that well, and which truthfully I don't think is as interesting as the supernatural elements.

Favorite Part:

Canto 100 where Dante prays that the story of a humble poet like himself can measure up to the story of the great people that epics were written about before; that a common's person story and thus worth can be as important as a hero's.