Spooky Hugs: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 76 - 87

Dante has certainly been able to interact with all sorts of souls in INFERNO. But now things seem to be changing. He meets a soul on the shore of Purgatory that he can't touch--or even hug.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this short passage from PURGATORIO to begin a long discussion about the changing nature of the body-soul problem in Dante's COMEDY.

Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:31] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 76 - 87. If you'd like to print it off, read along, or drop a comment, please find this passage on my website: markscarbrough.com.

[02:53] Three human moments in the passage to show we're a long way from INFERNO: brotherly affection, a smile, and redemptive wonder.

[06:14] The importance of the human voice, even in the afterlife.

[07:45] Virgil's masterwork, THE AENEID: still with us, even in PURGATORIO, this far down the road.

[10:36] The body/soul problem: corporeality, animation, rationality, and incarnation.

[20:58] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 76 - 87.