Close Reading In Dante's Inferno

This paper will discuss Canto XXIV and XXV of Dante’s Inferno, where the poet presents a character named Vanni Fucci. Superficially, Vanni Fucci seems to be motivated by thievery. Deeper insight gained from close reading reveals, however, that Vanni Fucci has lost the good of the intellect in the following sense that he is a megalomaniac and believes that he is to be a ruler of Florence. This thesis will be demonstrated by means of principles of close reading, including details, misprision and under-specification. (TRANSISITION) In Cantos XXIV, the author guides the reader through the treacherous journey that Dante and Virgil make due to a collapsed bridge. The pair travels through the unsafe path to the Seventh Pouch of the Eighth Circle

As a part of the principles of close reading one should look for common themes in a piece of literature. One way that a person could go about doing this is by writing down different topics or buzz words to identify common topics and things that are repeated throughout a passage. One can find many overlapping topics in Dante’s Inferno Cantos XXIV and XXV; some of the bigger ones include serpents, fire or the holy spirit, descending and ascending and rebirth. One can see each of these topics several times throughout the passage, as per the principles of close reading, one can determine that when a topic is repeated, it should be further

The passage actually states: “I am put down so far because I was a thief in the sacristy of fair adornments: a deed that was once falsely put upon another.” (Singleton Translation Ln. 137-139 Pg. 255-257). When one reads this aloud and thinks about it, it can also be read with the thought that Fucci stole from the sacristy and what he stole was falsely put on another. Fucci is boastful that he has achieved this theft, but mad because the fair adornments have been falsely affixed to others. A reader can tell that he is boastful and mad because in the lines above he states that it grieves him that Dante and Virgil have caught him in misery, the sinner chooses to tell his story to Dante and Virgil he does not disassemble and turn to ash, but comes to the two travelers and says,” It grieves me more that you have caught me in the misery where you see me than when I was taken from the other life.” (Singleton Ln.133-136 Pg. 255). There are many very important aspects of this small section. The first one that the reader must realize is that Vanni Fucci can control when he burns up into flames and what he does. He can also choose what he is telling—and not telling for that matter—to Dante and Virgil. With that being said, the reader must see in this passage that Vanni Fucci