Ascent to Love

As one of the supreme epic poems, Dante's Divine Comedy provides not only far more personality and emotional depth than the pagan epics, but also opens up all the issues on which Western history turns -- truth, beauty, goodness, sin, sanctification, and triumph. In this guide Peter Leithart brings his rich biblical-typological insight to bear in opening up the Comedy for students, high school and up, mainly the sort of kids who keep looking for the jokes in the "comedy." After examining the meaning and place of the courtly love tradition leading up to Dante, the heart of the guide walks us carefully through the craft and symbolisms of each progressive stageInferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Each section contains helpful study questions.