POPULARITY
Our pilgrim, Virgil, and Statius arrive on the otherwise empty sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory. Virgil seems more hesitant. And our pilgrim, Dante, more passive, as he listens to the two older, wiser poets discuss the craft of poetry.This passage represents the paradox of circularity and linearity, of stasis and advancement, that is the major structural (and thematic!) tension in COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through a seemingy easy passage while the pilgrim learns the craft of poetry.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:01] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 115 - 129. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, find this episode on my website and drop down the page to see the translation and a place to start a conversation with a comment: markscarbrough.com.[03:23] Circularity and linearity: the crux paradox of COMEDY.[08:37] Marking the temporal as a reality claim in COMEDY.[13:25] A possible change in Virgil's characterization.[16:25] Learning the craft of poetry (to engage the play of quotation and interpretation).[21:12] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 115 - 129.
Cowboy candy: sweet, spicy jalapeño rings. They're a part of Mark's childhood. We're headed to the kitchen to make a small batch without any need of a steam- or pressure-canner.This recipe comes from our book, COLD CANNING. It's all about making small batches of preserved, pickled, or fermented things for the fridge or freezer without the need of the pressure- or steam-canner. If you'd like a copy of the book, please click this link.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of more than three dozen cookbooks. This podcast is about our passion: food and cooking. We're so glad you're with us!If you'd like this recipe, please find it on our website, bruceandmark.com.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:30] Our one-minute cooking tip: add fat to lean meat for better, grilled burgers.[02:47] We're making cowboy candy![21:19] What's making us happy in food this week: Thai massaman curry and raisinets!
At the end of their first conversation, Virgil and Statius reconstruct limbo. They transform it into a neighborhood where all the lost, classical writers live.They also transfer limbo's sighs from the damned to the poet Dante and potentially to his reader. Where have these great authors gone?And if their texts are one way to God, how many ways to redemption have then been lost with them?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the ironic and complex conclusion to Virgil and Statius' conversation in PURGATORIO, Canto XXII. We end at a place of the final misreading and misquotation: that of COMEDY itself.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees and costs of this podcast, please consider making a one-time contribution or setting up a very small monthly stipend with this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:25] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 94 - 114. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the comment section for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:31] The reconception of limbo over the course of COMEDY.[09:56] The Roman authors in the list of those lost.[17:48] The Greek authors in the list of those lost;.[21:02] The characters from Statius' poems who are apparently in limbo.[24:55] The displacement of Manto in COMEDY: the final misreading and misquotation in a canto full of them.[27:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 94 - 114.
Statius finally tells Virgil what we all want to know: the story of his conversion. How did this Latin poet who dedicated his great epic to a Roman emperor become a Christian.Through a long process and by subterfuge. Statius was a closeted or hidden (or to use the medieval Florentine term, "closed") Christian.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look through this passage in which Dante the poet attempts to justify putting this pagan Roman poet in Purgatory and on his way to Paradise.If you'd like to help out with the costs of this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 76 - 93. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:27] Two minor issues: Who converted Statius? And was Dante the poet rethinking his position toward the neutrals in INFERNO?[08:08] Statius' journey in the afterlife to the fourth circle of Mount Purgatory . . . and where else?[08:40] Statius' improvised backstory and the inclusion of a historical figure: Emperor Domitian.[13:13] Dante's concept of conversion (v. modern conceptions).[16:36] Statius' words and the problem of the "above" text.[20:01] Texts in texts and the inevitable overlay of irony.[24:50] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 76 - 93.
Do you have a favorite Korean restaurant? Or a favorite dish? Or a favorite ingredient? We do! To all!We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of thirty-six cookbooks, plus one forthcoming this summer: COLD CANNING. You can click that link to order your copy. Learn how to preserve the seasons in small batches without any pressure or steam canning.We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about chopsticks. And we'll tell you what's making us what's happy in food this week: crab apple cider and a lemon tart.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:46] Our one-minute cooking tip: chopstick etiquette.[04:11] What do two North American guys know about Korean food? We'll take you on our journey of discovery for Korean fare.[30:33] What's making us happy in food this week: crab apple cider and a lemon tart.
Given that Statius claims a passage from The Aeneid made him see the error of his ways, Virgil wants to know how this poet of the Thebes could have ever become a Christian, particularly since his poetry shows little evidence of the faith.Statius replies with some of the most shocking lines in COMEDY: He became a Christian AND a poet because of the damned, pagan Virgil. Virgil's own poetry led Statius to his profession and his confession.To put it another way, Statius was redeemed, not by divine light, but a small human candle.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work our way through one of the most revelatory passages in all of PURGATORIO, lines that help us understand the framework of COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:53] My English translation of the text: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 55 - 75. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment to start a conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:39] Virgil's questions about Thebes, history, and faith.[15:02] Virgil's inspiration toward both poetry and God.[19:07] Statius' misquoting from Virgil's ECLOGUES.[27:31] Poetry and conversion founded in inspiration from a text.[30:01] Statius and Christianity in COMEDY.[32:00] Rereading the text: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 55 - 75.
Soy sauce. So many of us in North America grew up thinking it was one thing when in fact it's a big category of things. Yes, mostly related. But the array of soy sauces offers a big difference in flavors and even textures.Join us, Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, veteran cookbook authors who have written three dozen cookbooks. This podcast is all about our passion: food and cooking. Thanks for joining us.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[01:07] Our one-minute cooking tip: Store opened soy sauce in the fridge.[03:25] Japanese, Chinese, and Korean soy sauces: what types are there, what are their differences, and why should you have more than one in your pantry?[21:13] What's making us happy in food this week: pho and the Ithaca NY farmers' market.
Statius and Virgil continue their conversation as they climb to the sixth terrace with the pilgrim Dante.Statius explains that he discovered his error when he read two lines from Virgil's AENEID. The problem is that Statius misquotes these lines and misinterprets them, making them fit his personal situation while pushing them through Aristotle's ethics.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at this wild passage that has inspired over seven hundred years of commentary. What if the way you can get saved is by misinterpreting a classical text?Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:57] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 25 - 54. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:08] The binary relationship becomes a triangulation, thereby elevating the pilgrim Dante.[08:30] Statius' changing status in Purgatory colors (or darkens) Aristotle's notions of accidents and substances.[16:06] Statius seems to have read Dante's INFERNO![21:19] Statius misquotes and misinterprets a passage from THE AENEID, which then leads to his salvation (or at least to the recognition of his errors).[29:16] Avarice and prodigality are apparently mostly connected to the clergy.[30:18] The whole discussion falls back to Aristotle's ethics, (mis)interpreted for the Christian reader.[32:58] To sum, a misquoted, misinterpreted passage from classical literature begins the journey toward redemption.[35:46] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 25 - 54.
Blinded by the angel, Dante the pilgrim begins his climb to the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory. But his plight is overshadowed by Virgil's desire to know more about Statius . . . in this strange passage of misquotings and misreadings.The angel cuts short a beatitude from the gospels. Virgil seems to misquote Francesca from INFERNO, Canto V. And Virgil himself seems to toss out Aristotle's Golden Mean to get what he wants from Statius.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the start of many misquotations and misreadings that make up PURGATORIO, Canto XXII.If you'd like to help out with the many fees associated with this podcast, you can offer a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend of a couple of dollars, pounds, or Euros, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:59] My English translation of the medieval Florentine. If you'd like to read along or add a comment to continue the discussion with me, please find the entry for this episode of the podcast on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:02] My opening remarks on PURGATORIO, Canto XXII.[06:57] The climb and the truncated beatitude.[12:23] Action off-stage . . . because of haste or because of blindness?[15:47] Virgil's quotation (or misquotation) of Francesca from INFERNO, Canto V.[20:55] Virgil's tragedy and Dante's hope.[25:43] The question on all of our minds (with a passing reference to Aristotle's Ethics).[29:29] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 1 - 24.
Kitchen updates? Or remodels? What's in and what's not? Recently, SOUTHERN LIVING offered a list of ten items that are out of date in kitchens and "need" to be rethought.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of thirty-six (and counting!) cookbook. Here's our take on the list of updates and remodeling ideas.We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about shopping your own pantry. And what's making us happy in food this week.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:53] Our one-minute cooking tip: bring a bag or tray into your pantry to help carry stuff to your kitchen.[02:37] Our take on SOUTHERN LIVING's list of ten kitchen remodels and updates.[20:05] What's making us happy (and unhappy!) in food this week? Homemade ketchup and bad pizza.
We have been a long time on the terrace of the avaricious (without knowing there's another sin punished there as well). We're ready to climb on up to the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory with Virgil and Statius as the pilgrim Dante's guide.On this episode, sit back for a read-through of these three cantos.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I read a rough translation of PURGATORIO, Cantos XXII, XXIII, and XXIV, exploring the climb up from the fifth terrace, the discussions between Virgil and Statius, and the poetic-prophetic space that makes up the arboretum of the sixth terrace, the one with the gluttons.If you'd like to help underwrite the many costs of this podcast, you can make a one-time contribution or set up a very small monthly stipend by visiting this PayPal link right here.[01:33] A read-through of Cantos XXII, XXIII, and XXIV of PURGATORIO. No translation available--just sit back and listen. A closer, better translation lies ahead when we break down these cantos into their respective parts.
Statius has sung his (first!) hymn of praise to Virgil without knowing that the old poet is right in front of him. Dante the pilgrim is caught between them in this most human episode with his master, Virgil, demanding silence and his new friend, Statius, wanting to know why the pilgrim is smiling.Which means Dante is also caught on his emotions which seem to be overriding his will . . . in a canto about the will's primacy.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the very human ending to his surprising and comedic canto in PURGATORIO.If you'd like to help out with the many fees associated with this podcast, for streaming, hosting, editing, and more, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:25] My English translation of the passage. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:33] The curious inelegance of the poetry in this passage.[08:31] The welling up of emotions into the eyes.[11:50] Virgil's curious reticence.[13:21] The will v. the emotions--ever the human dilemma.[17:43] The dramatization of the anxiety of influence--and of the divided will.[19:56] The revelation of Virgil on this road to Emmaus.[22:46] Polytheism in this monotheistic poem?[24:10] Statius' error and apology.[29:12] The imperfections of the perfected.[31:03] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 103 - 136.
Pickles. Sounds easy, right? But pickles and pickling are more complicated than you might expect.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of three dozen cookbooks . . . plus a new one out this summer: COLD CANNING. Small-batch canning without a steam or pressure canner, everything designed to make a few jars for the fridge or freezer. If you'd like a copy, you can buy one with this link.We've got lots of pickles in our new books, so we'd like to talk more about what a pickle is: what it was traditionally, what it now is, and the ways we've created to simplify the process of making pickles.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[01:11] Our one-minute cooking tip: Don't confuse salt and soy sauce.[03:21] All about pickles: traditional, room-temp, lacto-fermentation; short-cut, counter-to-fridge fermentation; and refrigerator pickling. [26:17] What's making us happy in food this week: Black lava salt bagels and black berry conserve!
We finally get to know our unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Purgatory: Statius, the epic Roman poet.His salvation is one of the most audacious moves in all of COMEDY. Dante has to work every fiction-making muscle he has to assert that this pagan poet has spend so long in Purgatory on his way to heaven . . . and finds himself face to face with Virgil, his poetic inspiration and apparently the carrier of God's revelation.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we discover another way that love moves the fence.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:52] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 76 - 102. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:49] Introducing Publius Papinius Statius (45 - 96 CE), the author of THE THEBIAD and THE ACHILLEID . . . and a soul who should never be here in Purgatory.[10:36] Virgil's continued insistence on the "why?"[13:38] The lamentable if inevitable bloom of antisemitism in COMEDY.[17:30] Statius, always without faith in the historical record but always vocalized in COMEDY.[20:36] The shocking conjunction of THE AENEID and babytalk.[24:06] A bit of heresy from Statius . . . unless the redeemed don't have to be perfect.[27:19] Why Statius in Canto XXI of PURGATORIO?[31:35] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 76 - 102.
The still-unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory rounds out his answer to Virgil's questions with some shocking revelations: The souls in Purgatory seem to declare the moment they're cleansed. The will is the only proof that their penance is complete. They stand up. They choose to move on.Or do they? Is it that simple? Or theologically explosive? This passage is easy to overstate, particularly in the modern world. But there are actually at least two safeguards on this notion of free will in the soul's answer.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the theological second half of the soul's answer to Virgil's questions.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:02] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 58 - 75. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with a comment, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:13] The supremacy of the will (and of interiority).[10:10] The supremacy of divine justice (and a counterweight in the argument).[14:28] The turn to the speaker's autobiography.[17:06] The pilgrim as a third in an otherwise simple dialogue between two.[19:31] Rereading the entire answer to Virgil's questions: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 40 - 75.
Virgil has asked two questions: Why'd the mountain shake and why'd the shades all cry out with one voice?The unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory begins his answer by referring to Aristotle's notions of change . . . and offers the surprising conclusion that some change is impossible about the three steps to the gate of Purgatory proper.And then he does something wilder: He begins to wrap the poetic imagery of Cantos XX and XXI back onto itself.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this difficult passage, the first part of the unknown shade's answer.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:20] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 40 - 57. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me via a comment, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:08] The mountain's meteorology and Aristotelian accidental change.[09:09] Two translation issues early in the passage.[12:45] Classical learning: Thaumus's daughter, Iris.[15:41] Stable feet v. wet feet . . . and the search for a contemplative space.[19:28] The refusal to answer "why?"[21:16] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 40 - 57.
The unknown shade has been gobsmacked by the fact that escapees from hell may be climbing Mount Purgatory.Virgil explains that the pilgrim is still very much alive. To do so, Virgil uses classical, not Christian, imagery. And Virgil presses for an answer as to "why" the mountain just shook and "why" all the souls sang out with one voice.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore Virgil's curious answer to the unknown shades questions on the fifth terrace of Purgatory, among the avaricious.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:43] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 22 - 39. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry and comment section for this particular episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:49] Doctor Virgil explains the symbols on the pilgrim Dante's forehead . . . or does he?[08:15] Virgil offers the firm assurance of the pilgrim Dante's redemption.[10:37] Virgil uses classical imagery to explain life and death.[14:32] Was Virgil fished out of all of hell or just Limbo?[17:23] Virgil focuses on the "why?"[20:42] The thread and the thirst wrap the poetry in the canto.[22:40] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 22 - 39.
Writing a cookbook is only one part of the process. And we should know! We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks under our own names, plus more for celebrities and GI doctors.It's a long process to get a cookbook into a bookstore (and into your hands). We thought we'd take the time and explain why it takes about two and a half years for a cookbook to finally be for sale.Join us for an insider look at the steps to creating and publishing a cookbook. Plus, a one-minute cooking tip. And the answer to "what's making us happy in food this week?"Would you like your own copy of our latest cookbook, COLD CANNING? Click this link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:58] Our one-minute cooking tip: Freeze fresh ginger to keep it tasty![02:54] An insider look at the many steps to get to a cookbook: from proposal all the way to publication. [31:08] What's making us happy in food this week? Citarella for gefilte fish and goose eggs!
Dante is left wondering why the mountain has shaken when an even deeper mystery occurs: a shade appears seemingly out of nowhere and behind our pilgrim and Virgil.This shade offers a Christian greeting, Virgil returns it in a darker way, and then this shade assume he's looking at two damned shades, escaped from hell.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at this most curious passage that begins one of the most fascinating cantos in all of Dante's COMEDY.If you'd like to help underwrite this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:54] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along or offer more commentary, please find the entry for this podcast episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:43] Introductory material for Canto XXI.[07:26] Hesitation, the desire to know, and Aristotle.[10:46] The Samaritan woman and a shift in the nature of thirst.[13:35] Haste and liminal spaces.[15:15] Vendetta, justice, and human compassion.[17:33] The road to Emmaus and the resurrection.[21:26] The sudden appearance of a shade.[25:14] Christian greetings, darkened by Virgil.[28:40] A transfer of "what?" from Dante the pilgrim to this shade.[30:27] This shade, Virgil, and Dante together.[31:54] A rereading of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXI, lines 1 - 21.
Dante the pilgrim and Virgil have seemingly moved off even as Hugh Capet was still speaking. They're picking their way among the avaricious when they're stopped by an earthquake that rattles Mount Purgatory.Dante is afraid. Virgil may even be afraid. But he tells the pilgrim to "fear not," much as those angels tell the shepherds at the birth of Jesus.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work our way through the end of PURGATORIO, Canto XX: a return to the plot with lots of portents for what's ahead.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:33] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 124 - 151. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment to continue the conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:13] A return to the plot--or to the "now" (which may be what avarice cannot understand).[09:49] The third earthquake of COMEDY.[12:11] Two references to birth with this earthquake.[15:44] Virgil's "fear not" when he doesn't seem fearless.[16:56] The pilgrim's possibly faulty memory.[20:29] INFERNO XX vs. PURGATORIO XX.[24:27] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 124 - 151.
Jams, jellies, preserves, savory jams, conserves, and chutneys! You know that with the publication of our revolutionary book COLD CANNING we're all about these things. Let's talk through the differences among them: what's a jam vs. a preserve? What's a chutney and how has it changed in the modern world?We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, the authors of three dozen (and almost "plus one") cookbooks. We're here to share our passion for food and cooking with you. Thanks for being with us.Want to preorder our book COLD CANNING? Thanks! Please use this link here.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:33] Our one-minute cooking tip: use a salt brine to get the smell of cut onions and garlic out of cutting boards.[02:53] The differences among preserves, marmalades, njams, jellies, savory jams, conserves, and chutneys.[27:20] What's making us happy in food this week? Smoked salmon salad and and the kale salad at Mecha Noodle Bar.
Hugh Capet has spent a long time answering the pilgrim Dante's first question: who were you? He now turns to the pilgrim's second question: why did I only hear your voice on this terrace?In doing so, Hugh begins to sing antiphonally . . . or at least, he begins to list off those who have been done in by avarice, the quickest and tightest list of figures in PURGATORIO.Why is this list so full of figures yet so curt in its style? And why does Hugh seem to come to the end of his speech so abruptly?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we try to answer these and other questions at the conclusions of Hugh Capet's monumental monologue.If you'd like to make a contribution to underwrite the many fees for this podcast, you can do so as either a one-time donation or through a small monthly stipend. To do either, please go to this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:31] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 97 - 123. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode among those for WALKING WITH DANTE on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:01] Hugh's abrupt transition from one answer to his second.[08:46] Our questions about glossing and polyphony.[12:29] Hugh Capet's brief list of the tragic figures of avarice.[22:18] Spurred to what? Your own choice?[26:26] Two rationales for the shortness of these lines about the greedy figures.[30:11] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 97 - 123.
As Hugh Capet winds up to the heights of his monologue, he comes to a most shocking climax: that moment when the French monarchy is so bad that it makes even the corrupt papacy look good.We've come to the very center of Dante's beef with the French crown, voiced by this legendary monarch about his own descendants, particularly Philip IV (or Philip the Fair). It's a tale so dire that even papal corruption is forgotten!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the narrative climax of Hugh Capet's monologue on the fifth terrace of avarice in PURGATORIO.If you'd like to help underwrite the fees of this podcast, whether with a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, please consider doing so with this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:14] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 82 - 96. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this episode, please find its slot on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:06] Identifying the players in the passage: Philip IV (or the Fair) of France and Pope Boniface VIII.[07:48] Tracing the political history behind this passage.[15:41] Admitting the shock of Dante's defending Pope Boniface VIII.[18:42] Talking in code as a survival strategy.[22:54] Querying whether evil actions can be inherited (since virtuous ones can't be).[25:11] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 82 - 96.
COLD CANNING. It's our new cookbook out in the summer of 2025. We're so excited about it.Get this: small batches, no steam canner needed, no pressure canning, a few jars to preserve, well, jams, jellies, chutneys, chili crisps, conserves, ketchups, salsas, mustards, dessert sauces, sauerkrauts, kimchi, pickles, relishes, and much more!We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, veteran cookbook authors who are about to publish our thirty-seventh cookbook. And maybe our best one yet. We can't wait to tell you about it.Want to snag your own copy. Check out this link right here!Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK[00:35] Our one-minute cooking tip: Soak dried chilies and puree them rather than grinding into a powder for many rubs and marinades.[03:15] Our new cookbook out in the summer of 2025: COLD CANNING![17:37] What's making us happy in food this week? Hard cider and fresh, local eggs!
Hugh Capet continues the story of his family, bringing the saga of the French (or Frankish) crown into Dante's day with three of Hugh's most infamous descendants . . . at least as far as the poet is concerned.Our pilgrim gets treated to a grim recital of French misdeeds. And we catch our first whiff of antisemitism in COMEDY, just at the moment the actual French monarchy is expelling the Jews from French territory.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this tough middle passage in Hugh Capet's rendition of the avaricious wrongs of the Frankish kingdom.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this otherwise unsupported podcast, you can make a one-time donation or a small on-going contribution by using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:43] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 61 - 81. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this difficult passage with me and others, find the entry for this podcast episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:07] The poetics in the passage: structure and rhyme.[07:51] The troubled disconnection and reconnection of Provence and France.[12:48] Hugh Capet's first malicious descendant: Charles I of Anjou (1226 - 1281).[19:10] The second miscreant among his issue: Charles of Valois (1270 - 1325).[22:56] The first instance of antisemitism in COMEDY.[29:37] Hugh Capet's third bad seed: Charles II of Anjou (1254 - 1309).[32:50] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 61 - 81.
The pilgrim has been attracted by one soul, calling out his examples of Mary, Fabricius, and Nicholas to counter his own sins of avarice.Dante steps closer and inquires who this soul is. He finds himself in front of Hugh Capet, the legendary (and historical) founder of the Capetian dynasty of French kings. Or at least a version of said Hugh Capet, since Dante the poet flubs the historicity of his penitent.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this fascinating look at the second major figure on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to help underwrite the fees associated with this unsupported podcast, whether with a one-time donation or a small on-going contribution, please visit this link at Paypal.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:50] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, Lines 40 - 60. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the comment section for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:38] Hugh Capet in history.[10:46] Hugh Capet out of history and into COMEDY.[14:19] The highlights in the passage, plus a note about Hugh's prophetic voice.[25:04] The passage without its historical apparatus.[28:49] Dante's anti-French propaganda and his misunderstanding of power as a human motivation.[32:16] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 40 - 60.
The best part about road trips? Snacks in the car! We have a list of our favorites. Maybe you can add them to yours.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, veteran cookbook authors who are about to publish our thirty-seventh cookbook. We've got a passion for food and cooking that we'd like to share with you.Plus, a one-minute cooking tip about coolers. And what's making us happy in food this week.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:39] Our one-minute cooking tip: keep a cooler in your car when you go shopping.[02:22] Road-trip food: snacks to take in the car, the best treats to have on hand, and our favorites.[15:22] What's making us happy in food this week: loaded baked potatoes and an East Indian inspired trifle for dessert.
Dante has gone beyond Pope Adrian V but hasn't left the fifth terrace of Purgatory. He and Virgil pick their way among the many shades until the pilgrim hears one shade call out three examples that entice the pilgrim to find this penitent.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this passage on the terrace of the avaricious that will eventually lead us to our surprising second greedy soul ahead.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:15] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 16 - 39. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this passage, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:15] Dante, the poor homeless man, stares at the greedy.[05:25] The exemplars for the avaricious are told in very few words.[07:04] The first exemplar for the avaricious: Mary and her poverty.[10:03] The second exemplar for the avaricious: Fabricius and his poverty.[12:26] The third exemplar for the avaricious: Saint Nicholas and his generosity.[16:18] Does Dante have a death wish?[22:10] Rereading the passge: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 16 - 39.
Pope Adrian V has pushed the pilgrim Dante to move on . . . even though the pilgrim doesn't want to.He and Virgil pick their way through the crowded fifth terrace of Purgatory. The avaricious are so many that the poet has to step out and offer a prophetic denunciation among the wreckage.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we edge our way toward the second penitent on this crowded terrace of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:32] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, Lines 1 - 15. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me in the comments to this episode, please find it on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] The advantange or problem with structure in PURGATORIO, Canto XX.[07:30] The pilgrim's weak will redirected.[09:57] The pilgrim's and Virgil's movement v. the immobile smelting of the penitents.[13:17] The poet-prophet's curse.[16:32] The poet-prophet's hope.[22:14] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XX, lines 1 - 15.
Pope Adrian V concludes his discourse on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory on a strangely lonely, alienated note. Perhaps this is what avarice does to a person. Or perhaps this is what exile has done to Dante.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the end of PURGATORIO XIX and Pope Adrian's speech on the terrace of the avaricious. We end at a melacholy spot for one of the redeemed.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:39] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 127 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, see the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:32] Informal "you" v. formal "you."[06:22] Two New Testament references: Apocalypse 19:9 - 10 and the Gospel of Matthew 22:23 - 30.[10:53] The mystery of what is purified as a new plotting strategy in COMEDY.[13:14] The sad loneliness at the end of Canto XIX.[15:31] INFERNO XIX v. PURGATORIO XIX.[18:09] Misreading PURGATORIO XIX as a plea for democracy.[19:29] Reading all of Pope Adrian V's discourse: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 91 - 145.
Pope Adrian V, bound hands and feet to the ground, sets out to answer the pilgrim Dante's second question: What's going on here?In doing so, the pope unwittingly gives one of the most misunderstood lines in PURGATORIO.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore more of this conversation with the first (and only) pope we meet on Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:52] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 115 - 124. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:43] Punishment v. purification . . . and their contrapasso.[06:33] The bitterness of the pain.[09:42] Bitterness and falconry.[12:53] The transformation of the soul . . . momentarily stopped.[14:06] The avaricious v. the envious.[16:17] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 115 - 126.
We all have our likes and dislikes, even our loves and hates, when it comes to what we eat. We want to share ours with you!You might be surprised what two long-time cookbook authors can't stand . . . and what they love.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of three dozen cookbooks. This is our podcast about our passion for food.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:35] Our one-minute cooking tip: Use a spatula (not tongs) to turn chicken in a skillet.[03:25] The foods we love AND hate[24:15] What's making us happy in food this week? Cantonese fried turnip cake and passata.
Dante the pilgrim has asked Virgil--at least with a look in the eyes--if he could speak to one of the avaricious penitents, lying face down on the ground.On Virgil's okay, the pilgrim walks up to Pope Adrian IV . . . or at least so Dante the poet thinks. Sources vary. And interpretations, too.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the interpretive and historical knots we face on meeting our first pope since INFERNO.If you'd like to help cover the costs of this podcast, consider donating a lump sum or even a little bit each month using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:19] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 91 - 114. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me in the comments to this episode, please find it on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:47] Two interpretive knots: what exactly you must ripen to return to God and why anyone would want to stop that ripening process.[08:13] Dante, an architectural poet, who gives his reader three structuring questions for this conversation.[09:31] Four possible interpretive answers to the line of Latin from the penitent.[14:28] The identity of the speaker's family: the Fieschi from east of Genoa.[17:00] The identity of the speaker himself: Ottobono de' Fieschi, aka Pope Adrian V (c.1215 - 1276 CE).[20:12] Dante's possible historical mistake: Pope Adrian IV or Pope Adrian V?[23:00] Punishment v. purification: a difficult balance in PURGATORIO.[26:43] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 91 - 114.
Dante and Virgil now walk along the fifth terrace of Purgatory, looking at the souls who are face down, stuck to the ground, unable to move or turn over.One of them answers Virgil about the way up . . . and the pilgrim Dante wants to stop for a conversation.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for a look at this transitional passage in PURGATORIO as we step up to meet the first of three souls on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:31] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 70 - 90. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:30] Falconry as a "transmutative art"--and the possible transmutations from classical poetry.[09:24] The problem of being stuck to the ground.[12:18] Our disorientation among the speakers' words.[14:37] Virgil's (new?) concepts of justice and hope.[17:18] A new understanding of how Purgatory works.[19:00] PURGATORIO XIX v. INFERNO XIX.[22:27] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 70 - 90.
Dante the pilgrim has had a "P" wiped off his forehead by the angel at the stairs. He's started his climb to the next terrace. All seems well, but he's still sad, bent over with worry, troubled about his dream.Virgil again comes to the rescue. He reinterprets the dream for the pilgrim (leaving us with quite a few questions!) and commands the pilgrim to direct his eyes up to the heavens, the ultimate lure to God.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at this passage that brings us to the cusp of the fifth circle of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to consider making a contribution to keep this podcast afloat, even a small monthly donation, please visit this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:35] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 52 - 69. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find this episode's listing on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:23] Possible structural changes in the canto breaks in PURGATORIO.[05:51] Dante the pilgrim as the mourner.[07:02] The dream as a "new vision."[09:39] The question of what exactly is "above us."[12:22] The open interpretative space in Virgil's interpretation of Dante's dream.[17:00] Virgil's impatience, the workings of desire, and the rocky landscape of Purgatory.[20:02] The second major instance of falconry imagery in COMEDY.[22:31] The heavens as the ultimate lure.[25:10] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 52 - 69.
Awakened from his dream by a foul odor, Dante the pilgrim finds himself fully out of tune with his surroundings: a bright new day on the mountain of Purgatory, beautiful sunshine at his back, and an angel whose feathers fan him on to the next terrace.He's even promised the curious "ladies of consolation" as a salve for his mourning.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at a difficult passage in PURGATORIO, the journey from the fourth terrace of sloth to the fifth terrace up the mountain ahead of us.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:45] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 34 - 51. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find this particular episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[02:59] The Bodleian manuscript's illustration of Dante's second dream in PURGATORIO.[04:23] Dante's disorientation and his possible guilt.[07:14] Virgil and Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.[09:29] Disorientation in the passage: hope and despair.[11:28] More disorientation: an angel and the poet Dante in the tercet.[13:06] A return to the familiarity of the plot.[14:14] Four answers to the question of "who mourns?"[21:42] Those curious ladies of consolation.[26:12] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 34 - 51.
Here's the second episode on the pilgrim's second dream in PURGATORIO. Things get wilder after the ugly lady becomes beautiful under the pilgrim Dante's gaze.She begins to sing. She identifies herself as a siren. She mentions Ulysses (incorrectly?). Another lady appears and begs Virgil for help. And Virgil saves Dante (yet again).Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we parse this passage about the workings of poetry and perhaps COMEDY as a whole.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:23] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 16 - 33. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:18] Questions about free will in the dream state.[05:27] Questions about singing (and therefore, about poetry).[07:03] Ulysses back in Purgatorio again![10:30] The siren's song and possible identification.[14:05] The holy, speedy lady.[15:15] Her possible identifications: Beatrice, Saint Lucy, the second lady in Dante's VITA NUOVA, a whore/virgin cliché, or the holy lady of Philosophy from Boethius's CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY.[22:37] Virgil in and out of Dante's dream.[23:51] Medieval medical remedies for lust.[25:10] A grammatical problem in the passage.[28:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 16 - 33.
Our pilgrim has fallen asleep on the edge of the fourth terrace of Mount Purgatory. He's seen the racing slothful but night has gotten the better of him . . . so he begins to dream.That dream is all about desire and the male gaze. It's also about poetic space and dream space . . . and the porous nature between the two.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we start the first of two episodes on the second dream of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:54] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, Lines 1 - 15. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:21] Cooling planets, fortune tellers, and the liminal space before dawn.[06:51] References to INFERNO XX and VII in this passage.[10:20] Canto XIX and the psalms of ascent.[12:46] Delaying tactics at the opening of Canto XIX.[15:07] Disgust and the "redemption" of gaze.[18:29] Disturbing gender politics.[19:50] Who gets to observe vs. who (or what) is observed.[21:59] The poetic space vs. the dream space (which are not really separate)[25:17] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 1 - 15.
New Year's resolutions. They're not easy to keep. Especially when it comes to food, which is so habitual, almost ritualized in our culture. How do you break the cycle?We're Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough . . . except without Mark. He's a brief episode to explain why the podcast disappeared for a month and why it may disappear for a bit more before we can both be back at it.But in the meantime, Bruce has a one-minute cooking tip for you, he's got a primer on ultra-processed foods, and he'll tell you what's making him (and Mark!) happy in food this week.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[01:49] Bruce's one-minute cooking tip: how to use your gas grill in the winter.[02:47] Bruce's thoughts on ultra-processed foods . . . and maybe ways you can make an easy New Year's resolution.[07:03] What's making Bruce happy in food this week: Zabar's appetizing!
Hey there. You know how much we love to talk about food and drink.No wonder, we're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough.This is our podcast about our passion. But we're going on a brief hiatus until mid-January. We hope to back with you in the new year!In the meantime, our best to you and yours.
We've climbed up to the fifth terrace of Purgatory proper and come among the avaricious. These three cantos become increasingly complex and daring: in their theology, in their poetics, and in their myth-making.They're extraordinarily rich. Gilded, even. Which somehow fits, since these are the cantos in which the greedy purge their sin.And we've got three incredible monologues: from a late-to-repent pope, one of the founders of the French monarchy, and Statius, the great Roman poet whose THEBIAD has been with us all along in COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for a read-through of Cantos XIX, XX, and XXI of PURGATORIO before we begin our slow walk along this most dangerous terrace.
Candy. It's the holidays. Who doesn't love candy?We do! We even wrote a candy book once. We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of three dozen cookbooks (and counting!). This is our podcast about food and cooking. Thanks for coming along with us!Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[01:01] Our one-minute cooking tip: serve appetizers to keep people out of the kitchen.[03:00] Our holiday candy memories! Divinity to toffee, cut candy to French nougat. And listen to Mark make a mistake! Divinity is made with corn syrup, not corn starch![21:43] What's making us happy in food this week? Pretzels with dried cranberries & turkey rice soup!
The zealous slothful have run on, although there are still two coming in the rear, "biting" the penitents from behind with warnings about sloth.After that, the pilgrim Dante has a new thought--curiously undefined--which leads him into his second dream in PURGATORIO.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we finish off Canto XVIII and leave our pilgrim to his slumbers.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:30] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 130 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] Virgil, but only in periphrasis.[07:27] Two warnings: one Biblical and one classical (from The Aeneid!).[11:27] The connection between fear and sloth.[13:41] The pilgrim's new thought: possibly Beatrice?[18:01] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 1130 - 145.
At last, the slothful penitents arrive. They're a roiling horde in a crazy rush, whipped around the terrace to make up for the ways they were negligent in life.As these frantic souls pass by, one of them speaks a brave truth about Dante the poet's primary patron, a fierce warlord who has sheltered the poet on the run but whose family may not be all they're cracked up to be.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this amazing passage of PURGATORIO, a plea to not hesitate when it comes to speaking truth to power.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, please consider a small monthly donation or a one-time gift by using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:32] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines n97 - 129. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode in the list of episodes for this podcast on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:09] There are two admonitions for purposeful haste: Mary and Julius Caesar.[09:46] An address to the penitents . . . from Virgil.[11:00] Virgil clouds our definition of sloth . . . and perhaps our understanding of his place in PURGATORIO.[15:47] The Abbott of San Zeno tells of the fall of his monastery into chaos (as well as Milan's fall into chaos).[21:00] Hurry up and speak truth to power.[24:12] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 97 - 129.
Food magazines? Remember them? Sure, there are still a few around. But the print versions have certainly fallen off.Back in the day, we had a long, full career with food magazines, including being contributing editors and columnists for some of the biggest. Do we have stories to tell!We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of three dozen (and counting) cookbooks. We've written over ten thousand recipes for magazines. And we're so glad you're willing to share our passion for food and cooking!Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:54] Our one-minute cooking tip: Have the supermarket butcher unwrap shrink-wrapped meat to make sure it's still good.[02:54] We're laughing through our stories about writing for food magazines![24:19] What's making us happy in food this week? Our new cookbook that's out in the summer of 2025, as well as vintage port.
Our pilgrim has found himself in the dark of night, a time where he loses all effort on Mount Purgatory.But don't get too sleepy, Dante. You can get run over by the slothful, all at a full gallop in a Bacchic frenzy.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we return to the plot after Virgil's discourses on love, here on the fourth terrace of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, please consider donating a small monthly stipend or a one-time gift at this PayPal link right here.These are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:42] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 76 - 96. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:39] The complicated opening passage about the moon and the time of night.[13:38] Virgil and the values of chivalry.[16:41] Directionality and the penitents of Purgatory.[20:32] The Bacchic penance of the slothful.[23:12] The pilgrim's sleepy, poetic imagination.[24:41] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 76 - 96.
Virgil offers his third discourse on love at the middle of PURGATORIO to 1) show his work about ethics derived from Aristotle's notions of substance and cause and 2) to make sure the pilgrim understands that his actions are his own fault.This is a complicated passage with lots of historical resonances, particularly from Aristotle and Plato (as understood through Aquinas). It'll take us some work to unpack it, but we'll get very close to our modern understanding of ethics.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the last of Virgil's major discourses.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, you can do so at this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:13] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 49 - 75. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:12] The various notions of Aristotelean causality in the passage: material and necessary causes, as well as the nature of "substance."[11:59] Material causes and substantial forms.[14:59] A misinterpretation of the substance and material in the passage that has infected the commentary on COMEDY for centuries.[17:44] The desire for primary things and Virgil's misunderstanding.[23:24] Virgil's (and Dante's) definition of reason and our understanding of ethics from it.[28:35] Reason's results: ethics.[29:41] A logic flaw in Virgil's argument.[33:13] Marco of Lombardy vs. Virgil.[36:19] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 49 - 75.
Champagne is lovely. It means “festive” to most of us. But it's pricey. Very.We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, veteran cookbook authors of thirty-six (and counting) cookbooks. We love bubbly wine! But let's talk all sorts of alternatives to the budget-busting champagne.Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:50] Our one-minute cooking tip: Use a salad spinner to fix an overdressed salad.[02:35] Champagne alternatives for the holidays: Cava, Prosecco, and Cremant.[17:57] What's making us happy in food this week: wild pheasant braised with apples and lamb birria.
Virgil has finished his second, clarifying discourse on love, but it hasn't done the trick. The pilgrim Dante is even more full of doubts . . . pregnant with them, in fact.Let's look at the pilgrim's second question to Virgil's discourse on love and talk about the complex ways Beatrice and even physical desire operate in the poem.I'm Mark Scarbrough. Thanks for coming on the journey with me.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, you can do so at this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:19] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 40 - 48. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:47] To understand Dante's concept of love, void the Renaissance and Romanticism out of your thinking.[09:48] An impregnated pilgrim brings up the sexual basis of desire (or love).[12:50] The pilgrim asks a crucial question for any religion: How am I responsible?[15:22] The allegory of Virgil and Beatrice comes close, even while Beatrice remains a physical draw for desire.[19:01] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 40 - 48.
In answer to the pilgrim's request that Virgil show his work on the nature of love, Virgil (and the poet Dante behind him) condense and recast the very bases of the thinking in Western culture: Aristotle's notion that the objective world creates a mental picture that forms the basis of any action.This passage is one of the most complex in PURGATORIO. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we take apart its claims and some of the translation problems both from the poetry's concision and the seismic change in thought after the Enlightenment.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE;[01:56] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 19 - 39. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please find this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:30] A few things to admit before we start.[08:00] The three steps or stages of love.[14:01] The problem of translating "anima."[17:26] Basic claims in Virgil's second discourse.[23:17] Problems with these claims--and how Dante the poet solves them.[29:14] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XVIII, lines 19 - 39.