The Melancholic's Almanac

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Lake of Ice: The Penultimate Stages of Dante Inferno
Dante visits those stuck in ice, "teeth clicking," and listens to the pathetic tale of Count Ugolino.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
30:54

October 2023

Giant Steps
A discussion of Canto 31 of the INFERNO wherein Dante encounters the Giants. Dr. McCullough reads and offers an interpretation.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
27:57

August 2023

Suffering from Within
In Cantos 29 and 30, Dante continues to encounter the damned for whom fraud has disfigured (almost) beyond recognition.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
29:37

July 2023

"Fit Punishment": Contrapasso and the Example of Bertran de Born
Dr. McCullough presents Dante's 28th Canto in all its headless glory
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The Melancholic's Almanac
19:04

June 2023

Hellish Autobiography: Guido da Montefeltro and Dante in Canto 27
Dr. McCullough reads and explicates a passage of Dante that influenced T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
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The Melancholic's Almanac
22:37

May 2023

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules: The Tragedy of Ulysses
McCullough reads and discusses Canto 26, Dante's treatment of Ulysses, the Inferno's greatest trickster.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
40:17
Stolen Identities: Theft and the Fraud of Self
Dr. McCullough discusses the thieves of cantos 24 and 25 in Dante's INFERNO
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The Melancholic's Almanac
34:44

April 2023

"Hypocrite lecteur,—mon semblable,—mon frère!”
Canto 23 as understood by Dr. McCullough in which our hero Dante encounters the Hypocrites.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
26:24

March 2023

The Virtues (and Dangers) of Listening
What are the virtues of a good listener? What are the dangers of listening? Dr. Mark McCullough answers these questions.
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The Melancholic's Almanac
The Perverse and The Demonic
Listen now | Dr. McCullough discusses the "low mimetic" in Dante's encounter with the grotesque and ridiculous demons of the Malebranche of cantos 21…
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The Melancholic's Almanac
40:48

February 2023

"Of strange new pain, I now must make my verse": The Diviners and Canto 20
Dr. Mark McCullough attempts to make sense of a transitional canto and explicates the "diviners" or the false prophets of Canto 20 of Dante's INFERNO
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The Melancholic's Almanac
15:15

January 2023

Scum and Villainy of the Holy Order
Bold Dante holds little back from criticizing the church and the evil churchman he finds suffering in Canto 19
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The Melancholic's Almanac
22:59
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