Dante's Inferno: Reading Diary B

The second half of Dante's Inferno was just as gloomy as the first. Surprise surprise! My favorite story was Descending on Geryon's Back. Even though the writing suggested the worst environment imaginable, I couldn't help but see the beauty and freedom in the short flight down. Dante and Vigil boarded Geryon, a giant, flying beast, and looked out over the dreadful land below them. This scene reminded me of The Neverending Story with the giant dog. I obviously didn't care too much about Dante's descriptions of Malebolge during his flight. I just imagined the trio enjoying the wind around them. I also enjoyed the bits that directly related to the Bible. When I was in high school, I studied the Old Testament a lot. Dante mentions the statue made of several different media that represented the rise and fall of different empires. It was humorous that Nimrod, constructor of the Tower of Babel, spoke a language that no one could understand.

Geryon. Gustave Doré. UnTextbook.