hBjcDQfnMguRXVnjTNgM Mark Scarbrough's WALKING WITH DANTE: Sapía, Part Two—Blasphemy Among The Penitents Of Envy In PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, Lines 112 - 132 - Walking With Dante

Episode 104

Sapía, Part Two—Blasphemy Among The Penitents Of Envy: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, Lines 112 - 132

Published on: 2nd June, 2024

Sapía now tells her story to Dante the pilgrim . . . and it includes one of the most blasphemous lines in all of COMEDY.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look closely at one of the most honest and blasphemous monologues in the poem . . . and as we grapple with Sapía's incredible skills in rhetoric.

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Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:39] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, lines 112 - 132. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or continue the conversation with me, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.

[03:56] Indicators of Sapía's interiority.

[07:48] Her reaction to the Sienese battle of 17 June 1269.

[10:40] Sapía's right attitude toward God's will.

[12:41] One of the most blasphemous lines in all of COMEDY.

[14:54] Lighthearted folkloric storytelling amid her shocking honesty.

[18:48] The holy man who saves her: Peter Comb-Seller (or "Pettinaio").

[22:09] Honesty or manipulation?

[23:22] The logic of her monologue.

[25:13] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, lines 112 - 132.

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About the Podcast

Walking With Dante
A passage-by-passage stroll through Dante’s DIVINE COMEDY with Mark Scarbrough
Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.
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Mark Scarbrough

Former lit professor, current cookbook writer, creator of two podcasts, writer of thirty-five (and counting) cookbooks, author of one memoir (coming soon!), married to a chef (my cookbook co-writer, Bruce Weinstein), and with him, the owner of two collies, all in a very rural spot in New England. My life's full and I'm up for more challenges!