Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture
“Limbo: Reserved for those who observe the mess that climate science has become, subservient as it is to politics, and wonder whether redemption and a return to a true science-serving path is ever possible.
[. . .]
“Sixth Circle: Miscreants in the Sixth Circle of Hell should be forced to sit while unable to move or speak and repeatedly watch others being lauded in their place for their work, stolen and used without attribution.” –Anthony Watts, WUWT, December 27, 2012
“First Circle—The Virtuous Heathens: Those who care strongly about liberty in one particular sphere (e.g. freedom of speech, freedom of religious practice, the drug war, etc.) but don’t care much about it other spheres. These people are infuriating for their lack of general theory underlying their politics, but at least they’ve sorta got the right idea and can make themselves somewhat useful. This circle contains members of the NRA, ACLU & other such single-issue organizations, and is guarded by John Stuart Mill.
“Second Circle—The Lustful: Those who fall madly in love with a dim vision they have of a more egalitarian society and then hastily rush off to elope with it, without giving much thought about just how much promise there really is in the relationship. These people’s hearts are often in the right place but they show a frightening lack of concern for whether or not the policies they endorse are actually likely to accomplish the goals they desire. This circle is filled with innumerable bleeding-hearts and is guarded by Thomas Sowell. [. . .] –Matt McIntosh, The Distributed Republic, June 30, 2007.
Read the full list of the “Libertarian circles of Hell” on the Distributed Republic.
Pandemonium is the highest-level zone in Shadowlands, Funcom’s 2003 expansion for its 2001 MMORPG Anarchy Online.
Its four parts are named after the four parts of the Ninth Circle of Hell: Caïna, Antenora, Ptolomaea, Judecca.
Learn more about Anarchy Online here.
“Dante’s Inferno, cut apart line by line and assembled in readable order with clear tape onto a series of nine plexi circles approximately 20 inches in diameter and mounted onto a floor-to-ceiling height clear plexi road going through the centers of the discs.” –Cheryl Sorg, from her website, 2019.
Cheryl Sorg is an artist from Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently based in Boston. She specializes in street art, collages, tape drawings, and photography, among other mediums.
To view more of Sorg’s artwork, you can visit her website.
Maru Ceballos is a visual artist known for her striking, inky, horror style. During the #Dante2018 social media initiative, Ceballos created a variety pieces based on the Divine Comedy, and her work was used as promotional art by Museo Mitre for their exhibition “Los círculos del Dante.” Pictured above are a few of her pieces from this series. Clockwise from the top right is an illustration for Paradiso, an illustration for Purgatorio, a portrait of Dante, and an illustration for Inferno.
To view more of Maru Ceballos’ artwork, you can follow her on VSCO, Instagram, and Twitter.
Relatedly, you can read an interview with Maru Ceballos here.
See other posts related to #Dante2018 here.
Contributed by Pablo Maurette (Florida State University)
“With spring break right around the corner and, dare we say it, summer on its way, the day of reckoning is inching dangerously closer.
“We all know the horror, the shame. Our heads are bowed, shoulders sagging, arms hanging limply at our sides as we enter the store. Walls of brightly patterned spandex and neoprene tease us with possibility. Push-up, bandeau, triangle, bikini, tankini, one-piece, board shirt, options, options, options…The 10th circle of hell.” […] –Leslie Conway, Better After 50, March 14, 2014
“Before your teenage daughter sighs, rolls her eyes and tells you she’ll only wear Hollister, you will be in charge of making clothing choices.
“Treasure this time of sartorial lack-of-autonomy, because it is fleeting.
“As the parent of a girl, one of the first decisions you’ll get to make is ‘Do I care whether people think my newborn infant is a boy or a girl or a genderless loaf of bread?’ Welcome to…The First Circle of Hell: Infant Implements of Discomfort.” […] –Josette Plank, Scary Mommy, January 2017
