Brendan’s Reviews > The Inferno > Status Update
Brendan
is on page 362 of 694
In this reading, I’m noticing how often Dante’s Pilgrim shows ‘Curiositas,’ which, in the meaning derived from Augustine, is the sin of excessive interest in some vicious spectacle — e.g. attending gladiator matches, or, more contemporary, rubbernecking after a bloody accident. The Pilgrim is equally horrified and enticed by the spectacles of Hell, indicating his own flawed nature and flirtation with sin
— Sep 21, 2025 11:18AM
Like flag
Brendan’s Previous Updates
Brendan
is on page 33 of 694
“As little flowers, bent and closed / with chill of night, when the sun / lights them, stand all open on their stems, / such, in my failing strength, did I become. / And so much courage poured into my heart…”
— Sep 18, 2025 11:58AM
Brendan
is starting
It is midnight. I’ve had about 5 hours of sleep in the last day. I’m sitting on my couch, wearing a black shirt stained white with baby spit-up, holding a sleeping newborn, and reading Dante. Could life get any better?
— Sep 17, 2025 12:02AM
Dante is showing how difficult it is to resist evil due to its almost charismatic, magnetic force, and how sinners ultimately condemn themselves (perhaps willfully!) to their torments.