Who+are+Dore+and+Dante?

== = = = Who are Dore and Dante? =

Dante
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet during the 13th century. He lived in Florence and was eventually exiled after his political group was defeated by its rival. He wrote several longer works, such as //La Vita Nuova,// before working on //[|The Divine Comedy]// (see below), the work for which he is most well-known.

For a full biography, click here: [|Dante Alighieri]

Dore
Gustave Dore was a French artist in the 19th century who used many mediums, including painting, sculpture, and engraving. In the literary world, he is most well-known for his illustrations of great classic works of literature including //Orlando Furioso, Paradise Lost,// and //The Divine Comedy.//

For a full biography, click here:[| Gustave Dore]

//The Divine Comedy//
This work consists of three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). In the work, Dante is the main character. He is led by the Classical Roman poet Virgil through the Inferno and Purgatorio parts of the Comedy. In Paradiso, he is guided by Beatrice, an idealized version of a real woman Dante had fallen in love with. He travels through Hell, Purgatory, and into Paradise during the three books. Along the way, Dante runs into many people from his native Florence. He depicts such people using their real names and uses the opportunity to satirize or criticize the person for what he or she has done. The text depicts Dante's soul undergoing purification. By the end of the work, Dante has learned many life lessons and is noticeably wiser and more compassionate than when he started.

The text was immediately popular when it was published. It has remained one of the most popular books of all time due to Dante's use of striking imagery and masterful poetry. Modern readers are usually surprised at how gruesome Dante's version of Hell is. As a final note, the work as a whole is referred to as a "comedy", but this word had a different meaning in Dante's time. The term comes from the Greeks who regarded all works as either comedies (those with happy endings) or tragedies (those with bad endings).

For the full text of //The Divine Comedy//, click here: //[|The Divine Comedy]//