Walking With Dante

We take the first steps with our pilgrim, Dante, as he finds himself in a dark wood and starts his walk . . . through hell? No, across the known universe.He's also in a mid-life crisis. Curiously, not his. Instead, ours.It's a bad spot--so bad that he quakes even as he tries to write about it years later.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, to discover the opening lines of Dante's masterwork.If you'd like to read my English translation or dip deeper into this passage, there's a full study guide on my website, markscarbrough.com or walkingwithdante.com. Look for the header link to INFERNO, Cantos I - IV at the top of the site, then scroll or page down to the episode.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:39]  Why would you want to walk with Dante?[04:09]  Who am I? This podcast has been brewing for years.[06:26]   At first glance, why are the opening lines so strange, even off-putting?[14:42]  Does Dante's poem open "in medias res"? That is, "in the middle of things"?[17:03]  Who's journey is this? Who is this "I"? And how can this "I" write this journey into the wilds of the universe?[22:27]  What's the point of Dante's COMEDY? To walk across the known universe.

An introduction to the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. I'm Mark Scarbrough, a former academic and working author.This podcast is my passion project: to take Dante's COMEDY passage by passage. I've taught it many times. But I've always felt rushed. I want to take this masterpiece at my own speed. So here I go. No, here WE go.I'll use my own English translation. You can find mine at markscarbrough.com or walkingwithdante.com. You can also find supplemental material for these upcoming episodes, including deeper interpretive issues, translation issues I don't handle in the episodes, and even journaling prompts to bring Dante's poem into your life.To begin, look for the header on my site labeled "INFERNO, Cantos I - IV." Sorry: the episodes are in reverse order. The hosting provider won't let me change that! But scroll back a page or two and you'll find the first episodes for Canto I. See you there!