Deciphering Dante’s Divine Comedy
Love, Redemption, and Our Human Condition
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Alan R. Perry
-
By:
-
Alan R. Perry
About this listen
Can Dante’s masterwork change your life today?
Written over 700 years ago, Dante’s Divine Comedy remains a classic of the Western literary canon and one of the most masterful poems ever written. Join Italian literature expert Alan Perry to discover why its commentary on the human condition still resonates strongly today.
In this powerful audio course, you’ll learn why The Divine Comedy is profoundly meaningful not only to Christians but to anyone grappling with the big questions of existence and morality. Through 21 compelling audio lectures, you will experience Dante’s encounters with significant characters in each realm, asking questions such as What does it mean to be a good person? Why do bad things happen to good people? and What is so troubling about moral failure and sin?
Throughout the course, you’ll witness Dante’s skillful weaving of classical and biblical literary traditions and learn how the events of his own life informed the text. Through his memorable exchanges with different souls who teach him about the struggles of sin, the call to forgiveness, and the joy of heavenly bliss, you’ll see why this poem retains such timeless appeal.
This course is part of the Learn25 Collection.
©2020 Now You Know Media, Inc. (P)2020 Now You Know Media, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Understanding Dante's Divine Comedy
- By: Mary Clemente Davlin
- Narrated by: Mary Clemente Davlin
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri is indisputably one of the world's greatest poets. His epic masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, has been frequently referred to as the supreme work of Italian literature and a staple in the Western Christian tradition. Now, you can explore Dante's life and masterwork with a truly gifted Catholic professor as your guide. In this 12-lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, Sr. Mary Clemente Davlin will take you through this timeless narrative that has so profoundly influenced Western history, literature, and the Christian faith.
-
-
Soothing voice
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-24
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
The New Testament
- By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether taken as a book of faith or a cultural artifact, the New Testament is among the most significant writings the world has ever known, its web of meaning relied upon by virtually every major writer in the last 2,000 years. Yet the New Testament is not only one of Western civilization’s most believed books, but also one of its most widely disputed, often maligned, and least clearly understood, with a vast number of people unaware of how it was written and transmitted.
-
-
If you want a balanced overview this is not it
- By Amazon Customer on 02-27-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman, and others
-
The Narrative Spirituality of Dante's Divine Comedy
- By: Dr. Sebastian Mahfood O.P.
- Narrated by: Dr. Sebastian Mahfood O.P.
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the great works of medieval Europe, Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy translates the thought of the Middle Ages into a thrilling narrative. Seven centuries later it remains the most successful merger of theology and philosophy in epic poetry. In in this audio course, you'll gain a philosophical and literary understanding of Dante's masterpiece.
-
-
Magnifique
- By Anonymous User on 04-23-19
-
Understanding Dante's Divine Comedy
- By: Mary Clemente Davlin
- Narrated by: Mary Clemente Davlin
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri is indisputably one of the world's greatest poets. His epic masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, has been frequently referred to as the supreme work of Italian literature and a staple in the Western Christian tradition. Now, you can explore Dante's life and masterwork with a truly gifted Catholic professor as your guide. In this 12-lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, Sr. Mary Clemente Davlin will take you through this timeless narrative that has so profoundly influenced Western history, literature, and the Christian faith.
-
-
Soothing voice
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-24
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
The New Testament
- By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether taken as a book of faith or a cultural artifact, the New Testament is among the most significant writings the world has ever known, its web of meaning relied upon by virtually every major writer in the last 2,000 years. Yet the New Testament is not only one of Western civilization’s most believed books, but also one of its most widely disputed, often maligned, and least clearly understood, with a vast number of people unaware of how it was written and transmitted.
-
-
If you want a balanced overview this is not it
- By Amazon Customer on 02-27-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman, and others
-
The Narrative Spirituality of Dante's Divine Comedy
- By: Dr. Sebastian Mahfood O.P.
- Narrated by: Dr. Sebastian Mahfood O.P.
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the great works of medieval Europe, Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy translates the thought of the Middle Ages into a thrilling narrative. Seven centuries later it remains the most successful merger of theology and philosophy in epic poetry. In in this audio course, you'll gain a philosophical and literary understanding of Dante's masterpiece.
-
-
Magnifique
- By Anonymous User on 04-23-19
-
Asian Journals
- India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
- By: Joseph Campbell
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical from his teaching position and embarked on a year-long voyage through India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan.
-
-
What a journey!
- By Anonymous User on 08-11-18
By: Joseph Campbell
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
Dante
- By: R.W.B. Lewis
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Dante, Lewis traces the life and complex development (emotional, artistic, philosophical) of this supreme poet-historian, from his wanderings through Tuscan hills and splendid churches to his days as a young soldier fighting for democracy, to his civic leadership and years of embittered exile from the city that would fiercely reclaim him a century later.
-
-
a good listen, a good value
- By Amie on 01-29-08
By: R.W.B. Lewis
-
Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Inferno is the first part of The Divine Comedy, Dante’s epic poem describing man's progress from hell to paradise. In it, the author is lost in dark woods, threatened by wild beasts and unable to find the right path to salvation. Notable for its nine circles of hell, the poem vividly illustrates the poetic justice of punishments faced by earthly sinners. The Inferno is perhaps the most popular of the three books of The Divine Comedy, which is widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature.
-
-
epic poem
- By Amazon Customer on 09-23-22
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Thomas Merton on Augustine, Jerome, and Ambrose: The Philosophy of the Great Latin Fathers
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three men laid the groundwork for Christianity’s philosophy, theology, and learning. Seventeen centuries later, Thomas Merton, a spiritual visionary, taught gripping classes on these Church Fathers.
-
-
Brief recorded lectures on Patristic writings
- By cpk on 05-20-22
By: Thomas Merton
-
La Vita Nuova [The New Life]
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written in alternating prose and poetry, La Vita Nuova is a profound reflection on the nature of love, devoted to Dante's muse Beatrice. Following Beatrice's death in 1290, Dante became obsessed with the young Florentine woman, whom he only ever knew from a distance. He believed his love for her was a form of divine love and saw her as an image of salvation itself - a theme that is later explored in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, where she guides him through heaven.
-
-
A must
- By Barnaby on 11-15-20
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Faerie Queene
- By: Edmund Spenser
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 33 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This remarkable poem, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I, was Spenser's finest achievement. The first epic poem in modern English, The Faerie Queene combines dramatic narratives of chivalrous adventure with exquisite and picturesque episodes of pageantry. At the same time, Spenser is expounding a deeply-felt allegory of the eternal struggle between Truth and Error....
-
-
High Fantasy from the Renaissance
- By Jabba on 10-03-15
By: Edmund Spenser
-
Inferno
- The Divine Comedy, Book 1
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Joe Carlson
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever heard the sounds of Hell? Felt the darkness and the ice? Tasted the burnt air on your tongue? Dante’s Inferno will give you a flavor of the wretchedness of sin that you will never forget. The images and action that bring you down into the very center of judgment and consequence, into that eternal realm of woe, will stick to the ribcages of your mind, and change the way you see the world, the devil, and your own flesh.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Modern Scholar
- Way with Words: Writing Rhetoric and the Art of Persuasion
- By: Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Narrated by: Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esteemed professor Michael D. C. Drout brings his expertise in literary studies to the subject of rhetoric. From history-altering political speeches to friendly debates at cocktail parties, rhetoric holds the power to change opinions, spark new thoughts, and ultimately change the world.
-
-
A Very Unique Read...(J/K)
- By Jade on 06-10-09
-
Spiritual Direction From Dante: Avoiding the Inferno
- By: Paul Pearson
- Narrated by: Kevin O'Brien
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hell and how to avoid it are perennial topics of interest for believing Christians and others. With good reason. Entire libraries have been written on the subject. Most people, even those familiar with his classic, do not realize that Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, chock-full as it is of history and politics, is a masterpiece of spiritual writing. The most famous of his three volumes is the Inferno, an account of Dante's journey through the underworld, where he sees the horror of sin firsthand.
-
-
for every Dante enthuasiast
- By Patrick Ballinger on 07-05-22
By: Paul Pearson
Critic reviews
“Alan Perry is quite simply one of the greatest college professors teaching in America today. His knowledge of Italian language, literature, and culture is exhaustive, but he wears his learning lightly, so his lectures are much more like enthusiastic conversations with a wise old friend than a dry recitation of facts. Listen at length to Alan Perry and you will learn a great deal about Dante and Petrarch and Boccaccio, to be sure, but you will gain much more than that: you will learn to understand and to appreciate how these figures have much to teach us about our own lives today, how the Italian Renaissance shaped the modern world, and how it provides us with a valuable vantage point from which to peer back further into antiquity.” (Christopher R. Fee, professor of English, Gettysburg College)
“It is hard to speak of Professor Perry in anything but superlatives. As well as having top-level research strengths, Professor Perry has proven to be an excellent teacher, mentor, curriculum developer, and leader in the field of Italian studies. His list of professional achievements points to an active researcher who is able to turn research expertise into engaging lectures in the classroom. He cares passionately about his work, his students, and his classes.” (Michael Lettieri, professor of Italian and vice dean, University of Toronto, Mississauga)
“Alan R. Perry is known at Gettysburg College for his outstanding teaching. Because of this strength as an effective teacher and communicator, he has also taught on several occasions at Middlebury College’s Scuola Italiana, a summer full-immersion experience in learning Italian language and culture. He brings a passion to his teaching that matches up with in-depth preparation. As a well-rounded and genuine humanist, he teaches Dante; his seminars on the Italian poet are very popular. In all these areas of scholarship he has made important and lasting contributions.” (Dino S. Cervigni, professor emeritus of Italian, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
What listeners say about Deciphering Dante’s Divine Comedy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anthony
- 01-05-22
Instructive Dante Course
A good companion to the Divine Comedy. Instructor is not boring and does a good job taking specific encounters in the Divine Comedy and using them to help appreciate the poem over all.
That being said The Great Courses “Dante’s Divine Comedy with William Cook and Ronald Herzman is a superior course. Both in content and in entertainment. If you are like me and want to hear good discussions of Dante as much as possible. Then this is a good addition, but I would only suggest after you have listened to The Great Courses version and also A 3 Part Study on the Divine Comedy by Anthony Esolen. That would be my 2nd choice. After those 2 then The Modern Scholar with Timothy Shutt is very good. This course and the Modern Scholar I would put about equal. Very good but just not as good as those other courses. But definitely worth getting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Higgins
- 11-06-20
Extremely Comprehensive
Wow, this was more than I was expecting. The presenter (Perry) knows the Divine Comedy inside and out. There is 9 hours of content contained in this audiobook, and it's all well delivered. If you want to learn more about what some consider the greatest work of Western literature, Perry's course is the ideal place to start. Also, one note is it's not a traditional audiobook; it's more like a series of recorded lectures, which works well in this medium. 5 stars.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brittany
- 11-11-20
Explore one of the most prolific classics
Alan Perry provide s an extremely in-depth exploration and analysis of Dante's Divine Comedy. Whether your first read or your 50th, this companion piece will provide you some additional context and a new perspective on Dante's original work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emily D.
- 11-12-20
Great way to reconnect with a classic text
I haven't read the Divine Comedy since high school, and this course helped remind me why Dante's epic poem remains so beloved 700 years on. Perry masterfully brings to light the universally resonant themes of the poem, showing why it maintains such a strong foothold in literature studies and popular culture today.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!