So I read Dante’s Inferno Bloom’s Notes today.

It was a helpful book. I will someday write a thank-you letter to Harold Bloom.

I got more ideas for the novel, again.

Apparently, someone counted the number of types of sins there are described in Dante’s Inferno. There are 37 sins punished in Dante’s Inferno. Lots of sins for sinners.

I really liked the essay in Bloom’s Notes by Joan M. Ferrante:

Paradise is the ideal society in all its essential elements working harmoniously; Purgatory is a society in transition, moving from self-centeredness to concern for and commitment to others, but not yet organized within an effective structure. Hell reveals what society is when all its members act for themselves and against the common good. The souls here are condemned not just for their selfish motivations but also for the effects of their actions on others.

She talks about community. She talks about how the Divine Comedy’s punishments are in relation to whom was hurt along the way. Example: A government official that committed a sin was placed in higher circle of hell versus a religious official who was sent to a lower circle of hell. The reasoning behind this is the government official’s sin could cause more damage than a religious official (the number of people that could be effected from that sin). Dante, she claims, believed government employee could cause more harm than religious official.

Interestante!