The Library Annex

And therefore, figuring Paradise, needs must the sacred poem make a leap, as who should find his pathway intercepted.
But whoso thinketh of the weighty theme and of the mortal shoulder which hath charged itself therewith, will think no blame if under it it trembleth.
It is no voyage for a little bark, that which my daring keel cleaveth as it goeth, nor for a helmsman who doth spare himself.

As a senior in college, I taught a first-year literature course under the supervision of a professor. The university designed the course to acclimate incoming students to the rigors of post-secondary academics. At the end of the year, we assigned a 10-page research paper but allowed the students to develop their own theses. I spent individual time with each student to help them plan steps for the project and schedule their research. During one of these meetings, a more ambitious student – fresh to school with bright eyes and determination to bring the college experience to heel – expressed their plan to articulate a proof for God’s existence.

My little Dante…

I say this because of the massive scope of their projects; the thirst to explore something relevant; the confidence and diligence in exploring each theme thoroughly; the clarity of vision and obstinance in their inquisitiveness.

From my reading, Dante masters several major mechanics; the art of his poetry which include symbolism and pattern, medieval philosophy, science and theology.

Regarding his craft, I sought to read not only what Dante wrote but what he did not write. If all life is a stage and the play is all then the creator makes choices for both the positive and negative spaces in dictation and act. This approach inspires questions which may not otherwise present themselves and prevents a face-value digestion of the text. I also imagine that Dante spent a great deal of time building the skeleton of his poem before infusing meat onto it. He intentionally allocates certain cantos to particular circles of the three worlds using a specific number pattern. He determines a hierarchy of sin, redemption and glory. Through the Inferno and Purgatory he designs symbols for their suffering and discourses with souls relevant to life in medieval Europe. He maintains a consistent structure which then only begs him to fill in the blanks.

Regarding philosophy, Dante leans heavily on Aristotelian principles as they inspired much of the theological Christian doctrine of his day. I enjoy the lectures from Virgil and Beatrice knowing full well that Dante the writer – versus Dante the journeyman – lectures through them. He prominently explores the concept of Will and the seeming contradiction between aligning one’s Free Will with the Divine Will. This concept develops from simple commands by Virgil in the early circles of the Inferno allowing Dante to pass unharmed only because he Wills it and that demons and souls cannot disobey that Will any more than grass can naturally become red. The idea blossoms into a revelation that aligning one’s will to the Divine Will brings the pinnacle of freedom as all humans begin from good and naturally want to return to good in alignment with the Divine Will.

As to the sciences, surely modern scholars will point out certain inaccuracies in medieval scientific data but doubtfully will condemn Dante’s faculties of reason. At a certain point in Paradise I wonder if Dante explores the very concept of gravity in relation to Time and Light. One cannot fault his reason but rather imagine his conclusions had he been in possession of modern scientific discoveries.

Lastly, Christian theology governs the entire Comedy. I imagine Dante growing up listening to church sermons and learning Christian doctrine before asking himself, “How does one assimilate other disciplines into this all-governing theology?” He intermingles pagan and mythological symbols into his discourses with angels and saints. He allocates places for historical figures based on their earthly actions. He allows theological doctrine to determine Virgil’s place in the afterworld when, if up to Dante, he would surely dwell with the Virgin. But by adhering to doctrine with an infusion of reason and art Dante constructs the perfect story with each soul and idea maximizing its place for a harmonious whole.

One must decide if they want to study Dante or simply read Dante. Hundreds of years after its inception, I defy anyone to simply read him. However, I will admit two points of the Comedy which compel me simply as a reader. The first point, when he encounters Satan. The second point, when he encounters God.

At the deepest point of the Inferno, Dante finds Satan daunting and massively grotesque. But as a prisoner whose suffering follows the same law as all other souls in the Inferno. Dante does not design Satan as a master of Hell. The only power he gives Satan is to make his condition worse with the beating of his wings tightening his chains and freezing his place. He does not describe Satan as the antithesis of God but rather as a soul guilty of the ultimate sin and therefore suffering the ultimate punishment; the furthest distance from God. I believe Dante carefully considered how he would design Satan and I commend him for adhering to his reason and not falling into a trap of sensationalism.

I admit I did not anticipate my reaction to Dante’s vision of God. He spends 99 cantos combining the forces of philosophy, history, science and theology and I still await the romantic wiedling of his poetic force. Again, Dante does not abandon his reason and describes a force outside of physical law but existing as Love and Light; a balanced whole of all contradictions and wills. But in relation to the Virgin and saints nearest God, I picture the scene with benign souls rallying around a power rather than an ultimate “human” spirit. Dante admits the difficulty in describing something so divine with human intellect but he has attempted that very feat through the entire Comedy. Do these saints rally around God as pagans would the sun? Nothing about Dante’s God lends the reader to imagine the old, white-bearded man in the sky. Is the Divine Will rather a law of goodness without a conscious beckoning? Is this what Dante intended – a blasphemous idea of saints glorifying a force rather than a spirit with human qualities – or is it just a hazard of his reasoning throughout the Comedy?

Like my student, Dante may not have “proven” God but I do not think he necessarily wanted to; or that anyone reads The Divine Comedy looking for a proof. I like to think that the journey – the 99 preceding cantos – holds more value to him and the very exploration of the human condition lends an end unto itself. I do not think Dante intended for his Comedy to replace the Gospels or for anyone to canonize his work as the definitive proof on the divine – to be the end of the exploration. I think Dante simply wanted to make his best attempt to encase everything he is; everything he knows and feels, into a capsule which may enlighten others.