Cantos XXV and XXVI Thieves and Counsellors of Fraud

Canto XXV

Vanni Fucci defies God and flees, pursued by the monster Cacus. Three more spirits arrive, and the Poets watch while one of them becomes blended with the form of a reptile containing the spirit of a fourth, and the second exchanges shapes with yet another transformed Thief.

Canto XXVI

Dante, with bitter irony, reproaches Florence. The Poets climb up and along the rugged spur to the arch of the next bridge, from which they see the Counellors of Fraud moving along the floor of the Eighth Bowge, each wrapped in a tall flame. Virgil stops the twin-flame which contains the souls of Ulysses and Diomede, and compels Ulysses to tell the story of his last voyage.

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I apologize for the late post, everyone. Honestly, I'm a little behind in my reading myself. There are four or five things colliding all at once to make this a very weird and frustrating time for me and my family. I'd rather not go into detail here so as not to reveal too much identifying information.

So here is this week's post. I'll have to catch up soon. As far as I can see, it looks like the group is settling on Tucker Carlson's book, which is convenient for me as I already have a copy.

Cantos XXIII and XXIV The Hypocrites and the Thieves

 Canto XXIII

The angry demons pursue the Poets, who are forced to escape by scrambling down the upper bank of Bowge vi. Here they find Hypocrites, walking in Gilded Cloaks lined with lead. They talk to two Jovial Friars from Bologna, and see the shade of Caiaphas crucified upon the ground.

Canto XXIV

After an arduous climb from the bottom of Bowge vi, the Poets gain the arch of the seventh bridge. They hear voices from below, but it is too dark to see anything, so they cross to the far side and go down. The Seventh Bowge is filled with monstrous reptiles, among whom are the shades of Thieves. A Thief is stung by a serpent, reduced to ashes, then restored to his former shape. He reveals himself to be Vanni Fucci of Pistoia, who tells his story and predicts the overthrow of the Florentine Whites.

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So I haven't heard a lot of suggestions regarding the next book. So far, Lugnuts has suggested All Is Grist, by G.K. Chesterton. I've put forward The Suicide of the West by Burnham (not Goldberg's), The Righteous Mind by Haidt, and Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson. A recent incident reminded me of another book. I'm not sure how fruitful it would be for discussion, but I wouldn't mind trying White Girl Bleed a Lot by Colin Flaherty.

Still looking for input here. Which of these would you guys like or what other books would you suggest?

The layers of Hell

 So I thought it would be interesting to see Dante's description of Hell abstracted a bit and look at the big picture. So here goes:

Vestibule:

The futile are here, who never made any choice at all. They are condemned to forever pursue banners moving to and fro to no particular purpose.

Circle I - Limbo:

This is the destination of the virtuous pagans and unbaptized children. They experience no torment, but neither do they gain the blessings of God's presence. Their sin was a failure to hope.

Circle II - The Lustful:

The lustful are here tossed forever in a windstorm. These are those who surrendered to mutual, though illicit, desire. The more vicious forms of sexual disorder are found in other regions further down.

Circle III - The Gluttonous:

Those who failed to control the appetite for food are found here subject to a perpetual rain and covered in mud and filth. They are preyed upon by Cerberus.

Circle IV - The Hoarders and Spendthrifts:

Those who wasted their money recklessly and those who miserly hoarded their wealth are condemned here together. They endlessly roll boulders around an arena and slam them into one another. If I recall correctly, this is the first place Dante explicitly mentions clergy being found in Hell.

Circle V - The Wrathful:

Those who were overcome by incontinent rage are here sunk into a fetid swamp.

City of Dis:

This is the start of deep Hell, guarded by walls of red-hot iron.

Circle VI - The Heretics:

Here, those who willfully rejected the teachings of the Church are found encased in burning tombs.

Circle VII - The Violent:

This is the first circle clearly subdivided. Here, we have three types of violent offenders.

1. The violent against their neighbors

War-mongers, robbers, and tyrants are found here in a river of boiling blood, the depth of their location corresponding to the grievousness of their offense.

2. The violent against themselves

We have two types in this section: the suicides, who have been transformed into bare, gaunt trees, and can only speak when they have been damaged, and the profligates who are pursued and attacked by black hounds.

The profligates are wasteful like the spendthrifts, but not merely wasteful, have gone as far as actively destroying their own goods rather than merely wasting them.

3. The violent against God, nature, and art

This area is made up of burning hot sands where burning flakes fall upon the damned like flaming-hot snow. Blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers are condemned here in various positions.

Circle VIII - The Fraudulent

This is the malebolges, the most sub-divided circle of Dante's Hell. Here we have various kinds of fraudsters split up according to their offenses.

1. Panders and seducers

Those who exploited sexuality for material gain are found here, constantly running in opposing directions and scourged by devils.

2. Flatterers

Those who debased language are here condemned to swim in dung. They spewed bullshit all their life, and now they get to enjoy it forever.

3. Simoniacs

Those who bought or sold church offices are plunged head-first into holes in the ground with their feet set on fire. Simoniac popes have one hole together, and when a new one dies, they are all shoved further down.

4. Sorcerers

Those who attempted to foretell the future are condemned to endlessly walk around this trough with their heads twisted the wrong way round.

5. Barrators

Those who corrupted public offices for personal gain are here plunged in boiling pitch and harassed by devils if they attempt to raise themselves above it.

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Since this is as far as we've gotten in the book, I'll stop here. What do you guys think of the overall arrangement? Should this sin or that be moved up or down? Are there any major categories Dante has missed? What about the punishments Dante assigned for the various sins?

Cantos XXI and XXII The Barrators

Canto XXI

The Fifth Bowge, Barrators, who made money by trafficking in public offices, are plunged in Boiling Pitch, guarded by demons with sharp hooks. Virgil crosses the bridge and goes down to parley with the demons. Belzicue, the chief demon, says that the spur of rock which the Poets have been following was broken by an earthquake (at the moment of Christ's entry into Hell) and no longer bridges the Sixth Bowge; but he will give them an escort of ten demons to "see them safe as far as the bridge which is still unbroken". In this disagreeable company, Virgil and Dante set off along the lower brink of the bowge.

Canto XXII

As the party proceeds along the bank of the bowge, the devils fork a Barrator up out of the pitch, who tells the Poets who he is and mentions the names of some of his fellow-sinners. By a trick he eludes the devils who are preparing to tear him to pieces; whereupon his captors quarrel among themselves and two of them fall into the pitch.

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My job duties are about to change significantly in the coming weeks. I'm worried what this may mean for maintaining this group, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, under the assumption that we are going to continue, let's talk about what's next.

Lugnuts has suggested a collection of Chesterton's essays. While they are, as a rule, excellent, they are also short, and on a wide variety of subjects. It seems to me that this would complicate trying to discuss them on our usual schedule.

I have three suggestions at the moment. One I've borrowed from Wiffle: The Suicide of the West, the one by Burnham, not Goldberg. The second I've read before, but it's been some time, and seems worth another look: The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. The third is Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson. He seems one of the few people still connected to the major media networks to be genuinely on the side of the American people, even if he's not explicitly addressing the racial problems. Perhaps that's the price he must pay to have any voice at all.

Cantos XIX and XX - The Simoniacs and the Sorcerers

Canto XIX

In the Third Bowge of Malbowges, Dante sees the Simoniacs plunge head-downwards in holes of the rock, with flames playing around their feet. He talks to the shade of Pope Nicholas III, who prophesies that two of his successors will come to the same bad end as himself. Dante rebukes the avarice of the Papacy.

Canto XX

In the Fourth Bowge of the Eighth Circle Dante sees the Sorcerers, whose heads are twisted so they can only look behind them, and who are therefore compelled to walk backwards. Virgil tells him about the origins of Mantua. The moon is setting as the Poets leave the bowge.

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So I actually have a midweek post planned this time. Let's hope I stay organized enough to get it up in time.

Having said that, it's probably time to start contemplating the next book. Do any of you have any suggestions. Just a reminder, the plan is to alternate fiction and non-fiction, so the next should be a non-fiction book. I have a few thoughts, but I'll hold them in reserve until I've heard from you guys.

If at all possible, please do not comply with the mass hypochondria. As they are compelling us to play a part in a lie, I feel no qualms in lying to them about a medical condition. Show your face. Do not surrender your humanity.