Our smartypants pilgrim Dante thinks he has the answer to why the moon has spots. It’s not that shoddy folklore. It’s all about natural philosophy. Problem is, Virgil was all about the folkloric explanation. And Beatrice is having none of it since he’s clearly “submerged” in fallacy, about the way Virgil was.
Read MoreAfter a warning to his readers (or maybe just some of his readers) to go home, Dante ascends into the moon with Beatrice. They enter the diaphanous and aesthetic mystery of the universe standing in the pearl of the heavens . . . and thereby proving the incarnation of Christ (if you believe Dante’s journey really happened).
Read MoreIf Dante has a question about how his body can transit other bodies in the universe, Beatrice doesn’t answer it. Instead, she launches into a discussion of our natural instincts and how they lead us to our natural ends, unless we swerve from what’s intended for us or find our pleasure elsewhere.
Read MoreBeatrice has answered Dante’s first doubt, but he has another: How can he, perhaps in his body, transit the known universe? She doesn’t really answer the question. Instead, she launches into an explanation of the universe’s order, sailing across the great sea of “to be.”
Read MoreDante notices that the light has doubled in brightness. He also hears the music of the spheres. He’s too busy trying to measure and understand those to realize that he’s already left earth to fly up toward the planets and stars. Fortunately, Beatrice is there to set him straight . . . and to redefine “home.”
Read MoreThe plot returns to PARADISO! Our pilgrim Dante turns to Beatrice . . . to see her staring into the sun. So he does the same, becoming a reflection of her glory as he also sees the sparking wonder of the heavens above him.
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