Each essay introducing us to a Canto has been a multifaceted gem, yet this one exists on an entirely different plane. For me, the most moving and enthralling passage in the essay is this: “My father, like a devoted gardener tending a delicate flower—watering it at just the right time and watching it grow—is the one to whom I owe my passion for Dante’s The Divine Comedy. For years, especially during my teenage years, he nourished me - like that devoted gardener who waters his flower - with passages from Dante—always at the moments I needed them most.” Vashik, by this alone, you are uniquely suited to be our guide on this journey. Thank you.
I got stuck around Canto IV, because I wanted to read and take notes and got overwhelmed. I have slowly been reading, and not taking notes, so I can catch up. These essays are so thought provoking. I'm a simple reader with no background in the classics or humanities. You mention being disappointed with what Ruskin did not see. We're each such unique people, we can't all see everything. Ruskin gifted us with many insights, and now so do you. Each expresses your unique vision and insight. Thank you!
I love your comment. I have a literal mind, so symbolism is never apparent to me. But as I am tackling the classics late in life, the building blocks are piling up to create something that is slowly opening my mind to a deeper experience of reading.
Each essay introducing us to a Canto has been a multifaceted gem, yet this one exists on an entirely different plane. For me, the most moving and enthralling passage in the essay is this: “My father, like a devoted gardener tending a delicate flower—watering it at just the right time and watching it grow—is the one to whom I owe my passion for Dante’s The Divine Comedy. For years, especially during my teenage years, he nourished me - like that devoted gardener who waters his flower - with passages from Dante—always at the moments I needed them most.” Vashik, by this alone, you are uniquely suited to be our guide on this journey. Thank you.
I got stuck around Canto IV, because I wanted to read and take notes and got overwhelmed. I have slowly been reading, and not taking notes, so I can catch up. These essays are so thought provoking. I'm a simple reader with no background in the classics or humanities. You mention being disappointed with what Ruskin did not see. We're each such unique people, we can't all see everything. Ruskin gifted us with many insights, and now so do you. Each expresses your unique vision and insight. Thank you!
I love your comment. I have a literal mind, so symbolism is never apparent to me. But as I am tackling the classics late in life, the building blocks are piling up to create something that is slowly opening my mind to a deeper experience of reading.
This was the most beautiful and thought provoking guide yet. Thank you.