Now, this book has always been in my top ten - for as long as I can remember. It's a brilliant book and I think it is so relevant to today as it was almost 700 years ago now.
Written in the 1270s, Dante's Divine Comedy is split into 3 sections: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. I believe that this book truly represents the essence of the Italian Renaissance and I really hope you give it a read. (I'm actually using it for my dissertation!)
Characters:
My favourite character is Virgil. Purely because he has little emotion towards the entirety of the sections - he gives an overview but doesn't give too much away as the narrator has to discover it for himself. It's a brilliantly designed character that fits into the story amazingly.
Themes:
I felt that the greatest theme was love. Dante's book is written purely about searching for Beatrice, his lover - after she has died. A lot of this book has to do with Dante's actual life. It's a lovely interwoven theme that sinks into the background - but slowly comes to the foreground as the Paradiso is discovered :)
Storyline:
Now, the journeys are long-winded and complex; so I feel that the best part of the storyline was represented in Hell. This was because of the language that was used within the volume. I feel that there was much more complex language in Hell - purely because it is such a complex place. Whereas, the represented simplicity of Heaven was reflected as well.
Verdict:
I give this book 9.
100% for characters: I just love how Dante followed Virgil
100% for themes: Love, death, inspiration - all of it. It was brilliant
100% for storyline: I think that anyone who reads this will be blown away by the language
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