Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy

by Peter J. Leithart

As the unsurpassed Christian epic poem, Dante's Divine Comedy provides not only far more personality and emotional depth than the pagan epics, it opens up all the issues on which Western history turns-truth, beauty, goodness, sin, sanctification, and triumph. In this guide, Peter J. Leithart brings his rich biblical-typological insight to bear in opening up the Comedy for students, high school and up, mainly the sort of kids who keep looking for the jokes in the "comedy." After examining the meaning and place of the courtly love tradition leading up to Dante, the heart of the guide walks us carefully through the craft and symbolisms of each progressive stage-Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Each section contains helpful study questions. Peter J. Leithart (Ph.D. Cambridge) is a Senior Fellow of Theology and Literature at St. Andrews College, as well as senior pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho. In his spare time, Leithart sleeps.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, Christian, Theology, Classics, Books About Books, Poetry

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 2001

About the author

Peter Leithart received an A.B. in English and History from Hillsdale College in 1981, and a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England. He has served in two pastorates: He was pastor of Reformed Heritage Presbyterian Church (now Trinity Presbyterian Church), Birmingham, Alabama from 1989 to 1995, and was founding pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, Moscow, Idaho, and served on the pastoral staff at Trinity from 2003-2013. From 1998 to 2013 he taught theology and literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho, where he continues to teach as an adjunct Senior Fellow. He now serves as President of Trinity House in Alabama, where is also resident Church Teacher at the local CREC church. He and his wife, Noel, have ten children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful, helpful, and accessible guide through the Divine Comedy.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good companion to Dante. Worth reading.

[Scott W. Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to skillfully maneuver this grand literary adventure and actually understand what in the hell, heaven, and purgatory is going on, then Leithart's the man to follow through the Divine Comedy. He is a sharp thinker and a faithful guide.

[Caleb M. Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 Reread: Very helpful to provide an outline for my first thread through the Divine Comedy and to give me some thematic hooks to hang my hat on as I wade through it.

Original 2024 Read: Very fun, made me want to read the Divine Comedy .

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to read Dante's "Divine Comedy". I know it is something I need to read, but I have never managed to read it. As an attempt to move myself towards that goal, I picked up Peter Leithart's guide on Dante's Divine Comedy. I recommend it very highly for anyone who wants to understand better the method of writing and the structure of Dante's works.

The first two chapters set the stage for understanding medieval literature and courtly love and then the politics and times in which Dante wrote. Dante was disgusted with corruption at a political level in the city-states of Italy, and equally disgusted with the corruption at various levels in the Catholic Church. In writing the "Inferno", "Purgatory", and "Paradise", (with a chapter on each of the books) he seeks to show how a redeemed Christian man can be at once the best of men in a political level in his government and also the best of men in the church. He does this by showing examples of men and women at each level of hell (the inferno), purgatory, and then heaven. The guide is very useful to understand who some of the people are, and why Dante considered their sins to be appropriately punished in whatever level he put them on.

This book is written as a guide, and includes questions at the end of each chapter. So it can be used in a group setting with others who are reading Dante.

I'd recommend it highly for anyone interested in a first overview of Dante's books.

[Jlnpeacock Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Leithart is the Virgil to the modern reader as Virgil was to Dante, leading the reading through all the twisting paths from Hell to Heaven. His explanations help the reading as he gives information regarding some of the characters a modern reader would not know if they hadn't done research on the history of time in which Dante was writing. Because of his careful explanations, the entire work comes alive in beauty, wisdom, and depth. What a treasure!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but I have such high expectations every time I pick up Leithart I was a little underwhelmed with this one. The fault could all be mine. I was hoping for more help with the many mythological allusions in the Comedy and Ascent to Love was pretty scant on that front. In regards to overviewing the cantos & giving insight into the structure of the work, Leithart's work is top rate (as always)!

[Alexander Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leithart is always so insightful. This is a helpful overview of the Comedy.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I am reading through the Comedia for the second time and though I am understanding more, I still need a lot of help. I really appreciated Leithart's ability to clarify the main themes without dumbing things down. Some of the introductory material seemed off-topic at first (the long section on courtly love), but it made a lot more sense as I made my way through Paradiso.

An excellent resource for those who are new to Dante.

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't believe that any one book could completely encapsulate all the nuances of the Divine Comedy. However, this guide by Peter Leithart would make an excellent companion on a journey through Dante's poem. The study questions are also suitable for classroom discussion. I have often thought that Leithart is at his best when writing about literature. This book is a good example of that.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this wasn't my favorite of Leithart's examinations of classic authors and their works, I found Ascent to Love both thoughtful and helpful. Next time I tackle Dante, I'd like to read this alongside.

Recommended for lovers of Dante, as well as those who would like to try reading him but are a little bit scared.

[Jeremy Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful companion to the Comedy. He touches on the big ideas and themes and doesn’t go through each canto individually. The first chapters were quite informative in understanding the context and history that produced Dante’s works.

[Seth Goodale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleared up a whole lot. Now onto Dante

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leithart has taken a difficult, obscure, and tedious work--The Divine Comedy, and made it understandable, relevant, and interesting. This is a great introduction and summary of The Divine Comedy and I recommend it much more than the actual work itself.

This will give you the flavor and understanding of the classic work without actually having to read the long, mind-numbing work itself. He almost makes me reconsider my opinion of the work. But I'm not sure that is possible.

[Ben De Bono · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid, if somewhat basic, overview of the Divine Comedy. A lot of it was familiar to me, but Leithart's discussion of the different structural elements in Dante were eye opening and excellent.

I'd definitely recommend this - along with Dante Worlds - to a new Dante reader or someone looking to reread with some guidance.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read having read the Esolen translations

[Daniel Mcgregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads as if it is geared for High School seniors or College Freshman. That statement is not a putdown but a compliment. It is an introduction (including reflection and review questions) to this great work of literature. I read it immediately after I had read the comedy. The book faithfully explained the importance and context of the poem. To me what was most helpful was the exegesis of the underlying structure of the poem.

[JR Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good introduction to the Comedy. It's not as good as Baxter, and I was expecting Leithart to be more helpfully critical of the parts of Dante's Catholic theology that Protestants wouldn't agree with. Carlson's commentary did a better job of that element, at the cost of length.

I would go read "A beginner's Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy" by Jason S. Baxter instead!

[C. J. Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for what it is.

[Judson Marvel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful as a guide through Dante's Divine Comedy.

[Austin Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Helpful guide to the Comedy.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Hard to believe how many areas of knowledge Leithart weaves together in this book--literature, theology, history, and philosophy--kind of like the Divine Comedy itself!

[Mandi Gerth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely helpful to read this alongside the Comedia through 100 Days of Dante. An academic summary pointing out what to read for in the actual work.

[Johnnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best commentary on this book from an overall perspective, not technical not overblown.

[Zach Hoeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might just make Dante interesting

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful and solid introduction to Dante's Divine Comedy.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for a women’s book study through our church. The first chapter was a slog for me, but at the book discussion I learned that for someone else it was very interesting and exceedingly helpful. I felt a little out of my depth, to be honest. I’ve read Inferno, but not the other two books of the comedy. In general, Leithart’s commentary and insights were illuminating, and I might return to this if I ever finish reading the Divine Comedy.

[Melora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is directed at high school/undergraduate readers (evidenced only by review and thinking questions at the ends of sections, a few authorial comments, plus the description on the back cover), but as a new reader of The Divine Comedy I found this guide to be very helpful. Leithart shows how the literature of courtly love, medieval philosophy and theology, classical literature and philosophy, and politics come together in the work. He gives an excellent, short overview, showing links and themes that I had previously not seen myself or had explained in the other guides I've read. Very worthwhile.

*Having read the other reviews here, maybe I should note that this is Not a comprehensive guide to The Divine Comedy. I would guess that Leithart assumes readers are reading a translation which includes an introduction (for more background on Dante) and notes which explain allusions, historical references, and details on specific characters (Mark Musa's is excellent!). This is actually the third or fourth book on the Comedy I've read, and I'm on my second time through the Divine Comedy itself, and this time through I'm enjoying it more than I did the first time.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unless you are a literature professor or certified theologian, do not attempt to read Dante's Divine Comedy without this book!(My understanding is that Leithart happens to be both!) My teenage daughter and I attempted to work our way through the trilogy without Leithart's excellent guide. Finally, I just set it aside until Leithart's book was published. What a difference some guidance makes. Many view the Divine Comedy as merely a theological examination of the "places" of hell, purgatory, and hell. Leithart successfully leads students through a more insightful examination of the concept of "courtly love" and follows through the progression towards true, selfless love. This is a critical understanding for young people to differentiate. It opened our eyes to truths in Dante's book which, formerly a drudgery, became a favorite in her high school, homeschool education of worldviews.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leithart has succeeded in this slim volume in offering much insight into Dante's masterpiece. He explains why the Inferno is the most popular part of the Divine Comedy. He shows how the corruption of love is the source of much pain in life. The delineation of levels of sin, from the least damaging sins which come from fleshly lust to the deplorable sins of pride and treachery, would surprise most non-christians. More interesting to christian readers would be the difference between those suffering for their sins in Inferno, and those suffering for the same sins in Purgatory--a matter of choice. I also loved how Leithart shows the role of art in sanctification. Very interesting stuff.