hBjcDQfnMguRXVnjTNgM Mark Scarbrough's WALKING WITH DANTE: The Wonder Of Historical Obscurity In Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 64 - 90 - Walking With Dante

Episode 173

The Wonder Of Historical Obscurity: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, Lines 64 - 90

Published on: 13th July, 2022

Muhammad has walked on, but we're not finished with the schismatics and those who make scandal for the faithful. The ninth of the evil pouches (the "malebolge") of fraud is a crowded pit!

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we descend to some historical obscurity, part of the on-going difficulty of what may well be the most occluded and murky pit among all those in the giant, eighth circle of fraud in INFERNO.

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

[01:24] My English translation of the passage: INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, lines 64 - 90. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment, look for this passage on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:44] More about wonder. And questions about the symbolism of the hacking in the ninth of the evil pouches of fraud.

[07:40] Questions about tone in Pier da Medicina's speech.

[08:41] Unpacking (possibly?) the history in Pier da Medicina's speech.

[14:51] The curious reference to Neptune in the passage.

[16:48] A warning about the historical distance between us and Dante.

[21:13] Reading the passage once again: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, lines 64 - 90.

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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!