In his lectures on the Divine Comedy Professor Timothy Shutt treats the poem primarily in terms of literature and history. That makes sense, of course; as a secular teacher at a series of secular institutions, Shutt can but skirt the edges of theology. Yet, as Professor Anthony Esolen points out right at the beginning of these lectures, the Divine Comedy is deeply, inescapably theological.
So, for example, while Shutt stands flabbergasted at Dante’s presumption in counting himself among the greatest poets who ever lived (Canto 4), Esolen offers a theological insight. When Homer hails Virgil as greater than himself and Virgil includes Dante in this circle of poetic greatness—implying that Dante is even greater—what’s being ranked aren’t the poets themselves but their subject matter. Rome was a greater subject than Troy, while the vision of God is an infinitely greater subject than Rome.
This isn’t to disparage Professor Shutt’s work; I’ve enjoyed his recordings for years and hope I will for years to come. Nor does Esolen completely ignore historical background or artistic merit. It’s a matter of each teacher’s emphasis. Taken together, Esolen’s theological insights (like the one borrowed for my title) and Shutt’s historical context give a more fully rounded understanding of a poem that, as Esolen says, is really about everything.
Of course, “everything” includes love, hate, sin, death, life, medieval theology and references to late 13th Century Florentine politics. One reason, no doubt, why Professor Esolen recommends reading the cantos discussed in each lecture before listening. It’s a practice I can’t recommend too strongly, either. Knowing you have your own personal Virgil to bridge the intellectual gaps between the medieval and modern mind makes those gaps easier to take in one’s stride. As he says in lecture 4, “Dante was not hampered by our limitations”.