Dante Thoughts

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · 12 Apr 2001, 15:26 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <ddanehy at siebel.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) Dante Thoughts
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 15:26:01
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>          The logical candidate for Virgil is Oreb,=20

Actually, I think either Krait or (most likely) Sinew, both of whom=20
accompany the Narr -- oh, Hell, _that_ at least is definitely all Horn
-- to Green and are left behind there in various ways. (Yeah, okay, I
know... Vergil is left behind at the Purgatorio-Paradiso transition,=20
not the Inferno-Purgatorio transition...)

> I wonder if more could be done with this. I recall that when Horn=20
> fell into the pit, in OBW, he says that this was the end of all his=20
> happiness. "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here"? Entrance into Inferno?=20

Actually, I've been puzzling over the "three beasts" of the opening of
Inferno; that's the sort of thing Wolfe would almost certainly parallel
in some way.

> The rest of Blue would be Limbus Patrum, Green would be Inferno proper,
> and Whorl would be Purgatorio.

Do you mean the worlds or the books?

> Beatrice would seem to be both Seawrack and Nettle,=20

Primarily Nettle, I think...

> The real-life Beatrice, for those who may not know, was a young girl
> that Dante fell in love with, though he and she were married.=20

Key word missing here: "...were NOT married." Clearly JJ knows this
and this was a typo (or brainfart or whatever).

> Interesting. Wonder if Wolfe really intended it....?

I'd guess yes but I'd have to ask him. Which I don't really
expect to have the opportunity to do...

--Dan'l

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