Inferno Canto 17


VIDEO VERSION

AUDIO VERSION



OVERVIEW

Valeria Forte is an Assistant Professor of Italian at the University of Dallas. She is involved with the University of Dallas Italian Program and has expertise in theology and philosophy in Medieval Italian literature, Dante studies, and Leopardi’s poetry and philosophy.

Questions for Reflection

  • What is Geryon? Why make the avatar of Fraud a polymorphic creature? Is Geryon an infernal parody of God?
  • What is the sin of usury? How is it a form of violence? How is it related to the intemperate sin of avarice? And how does Dante’s depiction of usury’s punishment challenge contemporary economics?
  • Why do you think there is a chasm separating the circle of Violence from that of Fraud? Is Fraud that much more of a descent into evil than Violence is?
  • How does Dante’s language on his descent with Geryon confuse and disorient the reader’s sense of space and location? Why might that be an appropriate response to the new circle we as readers find ourselves in?

DETAILS

  • Dr. Valeria Forte
  • University of Dallas
  • Run Time 10:40