Comments on: 10 Reasons to read Dante http://davelafferty.com/2008/05/27/10-reasons-to-read-dante/ A journey through the afterlife of Inferno with Dante Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:44:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Myspace Layouts http://davelafferty.com/2008/05/27/10-reasons-to-read-dante/#comment-403 Myspace Layouts Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:02:17 +0000 http://davelafferty.com/?p=111#comment-403 I have this book and have not read it yet. It was given to me by my sister. Was Dante a prophet? I have this book and have not read it yet. It was given to me by my sister. Was Dante a prophet?

]]> By: David Prinzing http://davelafferty.com/2008/05/27/10-reasons-to-read-dante/#comment-398 David Prinzing Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:11:13 +0000 http://davelafferty.com/?p=111#comment-398 So apparently, "who is the greatest poet?" is an engaging question! Wonderful... So apparently, “who is the greatest poet?” is an engaging question! Wonderful…

]]> By: Greg Bauder http://davelafferty.com/2008/05/27/10-reasons-to-read-dante/#comment-393 Greg Bauder Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:02:04 +0000 http://davelafferty.com/?p=111#comment-393 Dante and Shakespeare were great poets but couldn't even begin to compare with Milton. Milton's erudition made them look like grade schoolers and his use of language went over the spiritless T.S. Eliot's head. ( There is only one l in "Eliot" ). I do not even consider scribblers like Eliot and Pound poets because they were all style and no substance. PARADISE LOST, for example, is by far the greatest of all literary works because of its tremendous scope, radical politics and religion and form that is based on at least ten languages Milton was fluent in. Could Shakespeare have written Hamlet" if he was blind? NO! Could Dante have written his works blind? NO! The fact that Milton's prose had a tremendous impact on the English Civil War and The Declaration Of Independence makes him the greatest prose writer as well. If you still doubt Milton's unequaled genius consider the empiricist Hobbes who disliked poetry but conceded Milton was the greatest Latin prose writer ever. T.S. Eliot did not dig deep enough into Milton to understand that Milton was the greatest writer ever. And even Pound's "wise" quote that "poetry is news that stays news" is a rehashing of Milton's aim to do "things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme" from PARADISE LOST. The fact that Milton was the greatest militant writer and champion of freedom ( read "Aereopagetica" the greatest polemic ever written ) and his later works and you'll see an incredible genius who suffered but remained determined to create a just world for all. Milton also had an incredible sense of humour and when Charles II was restored to the throne he said to Milton "God took your eyesight for killing my father" to which Milton responded "God took your father's head for being a tyrant." Few people realize this but up until the 20th century Milton was regarded by almost every poet and critic as greater than Shakespeare. What really bothered people in the existentialist cliques of 20th century writing was William Blake who claimed in his poem "Milton" that Milton was the reincarnation of the pagan Jesus Christ. I agree with Blake. Dante and Shakespeare were great poets but couldn’t even begin to compare with
Milton. Milton’s erudition made them look like grade schoolers and his use of language
went over the spiritless T.S. Eliot’s head. ( There is only one l in “Eliot” ). I do not even consider scribblers like Eliot and Pound poets because they were all style and no substance. PARADISE LOST, for example, is by far the greatest of all literary works because of its tremendous scope, radical politics and religion and form that is based on at least ten languages Milton was fluent in. Could Shakespeare have written
Hamlet” if he was blind? NO! Could Dante have written his works blind? NO! The fact
that Milton’s prose had a tremendous impact on the English Civil War and The Declaration Of Independence makes him the greatest prose writer as well. If you still
doubt Milton’s unequaled genius consider the empiricist Hobbes who disliked poetry
but conceded Milton was the greatest Latin prose writer ever. T.S. Eliot did not dig deep enough into Milton to understand that Milton was the greatest writer ever. And
even Pound’s “wise” quote that “poetry is news that stays news” is a rehashing of
Milton’s aim to do “things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme” from PARADISE LOST.
The fact that Milton was the greatest militant writer and champion of freedom ( read
“Aereopagetica” the greatest polemic ever written ) and his later works and you’ll see an incredible genius who suffered but remained determined to create a just world for all. Milton also had an incredible sense of humour and when Charles II was restored
to the throne he said to Milton “God took your eyesight for killing my father” to which Milton responded “God took your father’s head for being a tyrant.” Few people realize
this but up until the 20th century Milton was regarded by almost every poet and critic as greater than Shakespeare. What really bothered people in the existentialist cliques
of 20th century writing was William Blake who claimed in his poem “Milton” that Milton was the reincarnation of the pagan Jesus Christ. I agree with Blake.

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