The introductory post said that the first post will be on January 12. Will that post be on Canto 1, i.e., should we have read Canto 1 by then, or should we read Canto 1 during the week of January 12 and be prepared for your post about it/group discussion on January 19?
Hi Deborah! The reading schedule is meant to serve as a guide. For the first canto, you’re welcome to set your own pace. However, starting with the second canto (which will be sent on the 16th), it’s helpful to follow the schedule so you can join the discussion and explore the themes together.
In short, you can read the first canto anytime before or after January 12th, but for the rest, it’s best to read them by their scheduled dates.
I discovered something wonderful about the Mandelbaum translation: After I've read the canto and spent time on the Subscriber Chat to enrich my understanding, I go back and read the lines aloud to myself. In the sense that my own voice becomes the voice of the pilgrim, the narrator, the observer and the pupil, I hear myself in Dante's words. So his words become my own, in the manner of my own speaking to my own self. The experience is even richer with that new resonance.
Sorry; I'm a Type A who wants to "follow the rules" on everything 😀. Another question as I'm setting up my chart: you said we will be doing a canto per week, but there are more than 52 cantos. Are we going to be doubling up some weeks or extending into 2026?
We will be exploring two cantos per week so we can reach Paradise by Christmas 2025. Hope that is okay. It means that we will have to read 7-8 pages per week, instead of 4. :)
Whoo Hoo! Here we go. Everyone get ready for the ride.
The introductory post said that the first post will be on January 12. Will that post be on Canto 1, i.e., should we have read Canto 1 by then, or should we read Canto 1 during the week of January 12 and be prepared for your post about it/group discussion on January 19?
Hi Deborah! The reading schedule is meant to serve as a guide. For the first canto, you’re welcome to set your own pace. However, starting with the second canto (which will be sent on the 16th), it’s helpful to follow the schedule so you can join the discussion and explore the themes together.
In short, you can read the first canto anytime before or after January 12th, but for the rest, it’s best to read them by their scheduled dates.
Hope it makes sense! :)
I discovered something wonderful about the Mandelbaum translation: After I've read the canto and spent time on the Subscriber Chat to enrich my understanding, I go back and read the lines aloud to myself. In the sense that my own voice becomes the voice of the pilgrim, the narrator, the observer and the pupil, I hear myself in Dante's words. So his words become my own, in the manner of my own speaking to my own self. The experience is even richer with that new resonance.
Sorry; I'm a Type A who wants to "follow the rules" on everything 😀. Another question as I'm setting up my chart: you said we will be doing a canto per week, but there are more than 52 cantos. Are we going to be doubling up some weeks or extending into 2026?
We will be exploring two cantos per week so we can reach Paradise by Christmas 2025. Hope that is okay. It means that we will have to read 7-8 pages per week, instead of 4. :)