Closing Notes

Hello all -

This took me a bit longer to put together than I expected, and I appreciate your patience.

In line with my goal of this project - accessibility and learning without a paywall - I’m only including resources on Dante that are entirely free, with the exception of the translation I swear by, that being Ciardi’s work. If it’s in your means, do source it through your favorite independent bookstore.

Columbia University maintains a wonderful self-study Dante course, including both lectures and two translations (Mandelbaum and Longfellow) with plenty of notes to accompany them. There are also some Open Yale lectures on YouTube, prefaced by a talk on the Vita Nuova, which would be a good next work of Dante’s to consider. If you’re interested in reviewing a vast array of commentaries, I recommend the Dartmouth Dante reader. This Princeton website, while a bit rough around the edges, maintains the Hollander translation and some other useful links.

If you want help figuring out who the hell all of the people are (pun intended) that Dante mentions, consider consulting the Danteworlds guide, and definitely look at the galleries in each part for some great art.

Additionally, if you are a podcast enjoyer, I highly recommend my friend Robert-Louis’ series on the Comedy.

And in terms of what else to read next? Well, Dracula Daily is starting its next cycle here soon, and it looks like the makers have just started another Substack for a lesser-known novel, so you could get caught up on that. It’s unclear if Whale Weekly will come back around after this cycle, and if you want to try to catch up on something in an intensive, breakneck way, there is Les Mis Letters. (Or join it in 2027?) Personally, I’m trying to read The Odyssey (Fagles’ translation) before Nolan’s film comes out in July, though I also recently reread 1984, and I unfortunately think that is a worthwhile exercise for anyone else in the United States at this time.

If you would like to show gratitude for this project, while I am in a relatively stable financial place, please consider donating time or money to any one of the following causes:

• The Internet Archive, which has done so much for information accessibility and continues to fight for it again and again and again;

• The Transgender Law Center, as a proud trans reader, worker and writer;

• ANY local fund or mutual aid group you can support to a cause that means something to you - a bail fund, a prison fund, a community food group, a fundraiser for someone with Long COVID. The list goes on and on.

• Buy or give a book you don’t need anymore to a Little Free Library!

• Transcribe for the Library of Congress with By The People!

• Listen, anything that isn’t putting your money towards a politician’s fund or supporting generative AI would really make my day.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

With gratitude,

Flynn