NPPF shades and Dante

[Tim Strzechowski]

If memory serves me, the "shades" referred specifically to the souls of
Circle One: Limbo, the location of the virtuous pagans (e.g. Homer, Ovid,
Horace, and, of course, Virgil).  Since the ancient Greek and Roman
underworlds referred to the souls of the dead as "shades" (cf. _The
Odyssey_, Book 11 and _The Aeneid_, Book 6), Dante reinforces this concept
by portraying the souls of these pagans likewise as shades.

In most other circles of Dante's Inferno, the souls are referred to as
"souls" (and I'm going by my memory of the Ciardi, Musa, and Mandelbaum
translations) , even in the case of the Wood of the Suicides (_Inferno_,
Canto 13).

For what that's worth ...

Tim




----- Original Message -----
From: "cfalbert" <calbert at hslboxmaster.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 1:08 PM
Subject: Re: NPPF shades and Dante


>
> Anyone hip to the shades in Dante's Inferno? These are the souls of
> suicides........It will take me much to long to get to that passage at the
> rate I'm working.....
>
> love,
> cfa
>
>
>
>