Inferno XV

Brunetto Latini: The Teacher Dante Loved and Placed in Hell

· July 18, 2026
Brunetto Latini: The Teacher Dante Loved and Placed in Hell

One of the most heartbreaking moments in all of literature occurs in Dante’s Inferno, Canto XV. The poet encounters his beloved teacher, Brunetto Latini, walking eternally across burning sand beneath a rain of fire. What makes this scene unbearable is not the punishment itself, but Dante’s tenderness toward the damned. Dante addresses Brunetto with the … Read more

A Pocket Guide to Dante’s Pronouns: Tu, Voi, and the Politics of Address

· July 7, 2026
A Pocket Guide to Dantes Pronouns: Tu, Voi, and the Politics of Address

I didn’t realize how much drama was hidden in Dante’s pronoun choices until someone pointed it out. Now I can’t un-see it. Every time I reread the Commedia, I catch myself watching for those tiny Italian words—tu and voi—like they’re secret messages written in plain sight. And honestly? They are. In medieval Tuscan Italian, the … Read more