The three parts of today’s episode surround each other like the concentric rings of hell. (Maybe not the best metaphor?)
- First I’ll briefly describe the story of Dante’s Inferno;
- and then I’ll guide you toward the second circle of Hell, where our narrator meets those spirits punished for lust;
- and finally I’ll introduce you to Paulo and Francesca, the adulterous lovers who were seduced by a book to seduce each other.
My source of all quotations from Dante in this episode are from the translation of Robert and Jean Hollander, published by Doubleday in 2000.
