The Garbled Logic Of A Classical Poet In A Christian Poem: PURGATORIO, Canto VI, Lines 25 - 48

Help support WALKING WITH DANTE by covering the hosting, editing, and licensing fees. You can donate through PayPal here. The pilgrim Dante and Virgil pass on from the crowd. And now Virgil really becomes the loser. Dante inquires about a passage in THE AENEID. And Virgil answers like a prof who is caught with a question he can't answer. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the second time in COMEDY that Virgil is forced to correct his masterpiece in front of Dante. Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:19] My English translation of this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto VI, lines 25 - 48. If you'd like to read along or print it off to make notes, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com. [03:36] Dante quizzes Virgil about the theology of the master's tragedy. What text is Dante the pilgrim referencing? THE AENEID, Book VI, around lines 373 - 376. [05:44] Virgil replies with garbled logic, if not utter sophistry. [11:21] The three most common medieval responses to classical texts like Virgil's. [15:55] My personal theory: the poet Dante may still be in a bit of an infernal state of mind, seeing souls as "placed" rather than "in transit."