Paradiso- Dante  (1321) 
Continuing through the third book (canticle) of the Dante’s Divine Comedy. 

Canto 9  
The third sphere: Venus cont. 
Dante begins the canto addressing “Clemence”, which would either be Charles wife or daughter, no one is exactly sure which. Let’s say it’s the wife. Dante tells her that he is aware of the deceits of her children and that a just punishment will follow their deeds. Dante then notes Charles returning to his place. Dante chastises men for turning their heads from the good to the pursuit of empty ends. 

Then another light comes forward wishing to satisfy Dante’s curiosity, which he recognizes by her increased glow. Beatrice reassures Dante that he is free to ask whatever and Dante then asks the spirit to answer his question without even having heard it from him. She explains that she is from the Marca Trevigiana. There is a hill there, Romano, from where a “torch” came to scourge the countryside. The torch is Ezzolino III da Romano, one of the most infamous petty tyrants of the time. She is Cunizza, Ezzolino’s sister, who was married to Count Riccardo for political reasons, but became enamored of the troubadour, Sordello. That didn’t last long though and she then took up with a knight named Bonio. After that, she was married a few more times. She tells Dante that she was taken by an earthly erotic love. But she doesn’t worry too much about this now though, which might seem odd to people who don’t understand. The reason being that the guilt and remorse were purged in Purgatory and the focus now is on God’s providence in foreseeing both the sin and its redemption. Then she another great shining jewel that is near her, of whom great fame remains on the earth, and in fact, before his fame would die, this “hundredth year”, remembering that the setting is 1300, will be ‘fived’, meaning 500 years will pass, and if one considers this, a man should become so excellent as to leave a legacy before leaving life. Dante isn’t advocating for a vain desire for human glory, but it is an admonition that men should seek good so that they leave good that would carry beyond their own lives. 

She then states that the rabble living between the Tagliamento and Adige rivers, which would define the limits of the Marca Trevigiana wouldn’t consider such things, nor has it repented of its sin, despite its punishment (the fact that they had been scourged by various tyrants, including her brothers Ezzolino and Alberigo). But soon enough Padova will be punished so that their blood will redden the waters for their insolent resistance to the duty owed to the emperor (by Cangrande in 1314 as imperial vicar). She then states that one who lives there, Rizzardo da Camino, who lords over the area and is arrogant, will soon be captured.  

She further prophecies that the Bishop of Feltre, Alessandro Novello had committed such a grievous sin, that there was no one even in the prisons that had done such a thing. Without going into massive detail, he took in some men under his protection, then betrayed them. A wider vat would be necessary to hold the blood of the Ferrarese (the men Bishop Novello took in), and anyone attempting to measure out their blood by the ounce would tire themselves out. 

She then leaves off with a statement that there are mirrors above, we call them thrones, through which God, as judge, shines, so that speaking of such things in light of God’s justice means these judgments are a cause for celebration. Then Cunizza returns to her dance. 

A second soul comes forward, shining like a ruby in the sun, and here it is noted that the more joy one in heaven acquires, the brighter the soul shines. Dante then also asks this spirit to answer his question without being specifically told what it is. The spirit responds that he lived in Marseilles (not quite so succinctly: he takes 12 lines to describe it in a roundabout way, but he meant Marseilles), and he was the famed Troubadour Folquet. Like Cunizza, he isn’t much repentant over sin here, presumably that would have been taken care of in Purgatory, and the memory of it wiped clean. He then notes that Dante would like to know if there are others that would interest him in this realm, and he points to Rahab, the prostitute that sheltered the Israelite spies when they came to scout out Jericho. Folquet notes that she is here because she was instrumental in securing the initial victory of Israel into the Holy land, the importance of which was fully realized with Jesus’ death on the cross, but such things are ignored by the Pope and cardinals, who are only concerned with searching papal decrees for what would allow them to get away with more sin. He closes with the warning that Rome will soon be set free of these adulteries. 

Canto 10 
The fourth sphere: the Sun- the wise. 
The canto starts with a praise to God the Father, and the other persons of the trinity, who caused the universe to turn in such a way that anyone who contemplates it can’t help but get a taste of Him. Dante then encourages the reader to consider how the rotation of the planets, particularly the offset ecliptical angle, that causes the seasons, and the waxing and waning influence of the planets that give varied influence over the earth. This is mentioned as a meal to partake for enjoyment before the work of describing the sphere of the Sun moves forward.  

At this point, Dante recognizes he has moved up, but imperceptibly; he is just…. there. This is the sphere of the Sun, where the wise are made known. I should mention here that the tenth canto marks the separation from those whose love of God was tainted by earthly concerns (the shadow of earth was still cast as far as Venus), to these here who wholly followed God according to the gifts bestowed on them. 

In the Inferno, the tenth canto marked the entrance to Dis, which separated the sins of incontinence from those that were willfully sinful; and the tenth canto of Purgatorio that marked the move from those waiting in ante-purgatory to those in purgatory proper. 

Here are those souls who spent their time contemplating God. 

Dante first notes that Beatrice is brighter than ever, so much so that she stands out, even on the sun, by her brightness more than any color differentiation. Dante notes that it would be impossible to accurately describe this in a way in which it can truly be imagined, since none of us is able to see something brighter than the sun. But here in this realm, the reward is that the nature of God and His trinity is made known. 

Beatrice encourages Dante to give thanks to God for bringing him here, at which point Dante is wholly given over to love God. At this point he notices Beatrice beams even brighter in her smile, leading him to notice that God’s brightness shines through various channels, including spirits approaching them. 

The lights encircle them, and make three laps around them before halting, at which point one speaks out saying that when Divine Grace shines to a certain degree, it leads up “steps which no one descends without going up again”. The “steps” are the ‘ladder of contemplation’. The spirit knows Dante would want to know who the spirits are that form the circle, so he introduces them one by one. 

They are: Albert of Cologne, a famous doctor of the church, himself- Thomas Aquinas, Gratian, author of the Decretals, Peter the Lombard, writer of the standard theology textbook, King Solomon, Dionysius the Areopagite, Orosius, Boethius, Isidorus, the Venerable Bede, Richard of St. Victor, and Siger of Brabant. 

Here Thomas stops his introductions and they all begin to sing. At this point the canto ends. 

Canto 11 
The fourth sphere: the Sun- the wise, cont. 
Dante begins by noting how men waste their time and effort pursuing things that will get them nowhere in the life after death. St Thomas continues speaking by noting that Dante has two questions: the first is about what Thomas meant when he had said earlier that ‘that path feeds well’ (if it doesn’t turn to vain things), and ‘we’ll not see another’ or a ‘second’ like Solomon.  

Thomas explains that God, in His providence, has governed (created it to run and manages) the world with such understanding that no created mind is able to penetrate to the depths of it, and this was done so that the Church (the bride) would go towards Christ more assured of what she is doing, and more faithful to God, and with this in mind, God raised up two “princes”, to guide His people in certainty and faith. The two princes were St Francis and St. Dominic. Thomas says he need only speak of one, since what he says of one can just as well be said of the other, since their aims were both the same. Dante then spends 12 lines on St. Francis’ birthplace- Assisi. Next he recounts Francis history of how he, the son of a merchant, left that life and married ‘poverty’, symbolically represented as a ‘wife’. 

The woman, poverty, had been Jesus’ companion, but nobody wanted her for over a thousand years until Francis. Thomas then tells of the initial growth of Francis movement when Bernard, Aegidio, and Silvestro joined him; how they went to Rome, unashamed to appear before the majesty of the Pope in such humble state, and how Pope Innocent III accepted him. The growth of the movement is recounted of how Pope Honorius granted the movement official sanction as an order, and then, though chronologically out of order, tells how Francis, hoping to follow Christ in martyrdom, went to Egypt to confront the Sultan and preach Jesus to him. The Sultan listened to him, but sent Francis back unharmed. Francis then returned to Italy where, for two years, he was blessed with the third seal on his ministry, the reception of the stigmata on his body. Finally Francis was called home by God and sought no more coffin than his poverty.  

Thomas notes that these men were worthy companions to the church to help maintain her steadfastness in the middle of difficult times. While their followers were commanded to stay wedded to poverty, i.e. forsake trying to obtain worldly goods and follow Jesus, and that if they were to do so, they would see for themselves the preciousness of their ‘possession’, nonetheless, subsequent generations longed for a different food and wandered to different pastures, but unfortunately returning empty. 

So, Thomas explains, IF his words have been clear enough, and Dante has heard and understood, then he should by now be able to understand what was meant by ‘the path feeds well if one doesn’t turn to vain things’; meaning, if one adheres to the faith without deviation, the faith will nourish him well. 

Canto 12 
The fourth sphere: the Sun- the wise, cont. 
St Thomas finishes speaking and the circle, likened to a millstone, begins to turn again. But before it completes even one revolution, a second ring encloses it, matching movement and song perfectly. Dante gives several metaphors and similes for this, but I won’t relate them here. From inside one of the lights in the outer circle, a voice calls out that since St Thomas, a Dominican, has spoken so lovingly of St Francis, it is fitting that he, a Franciscan, should return the favor for St Dominic.  

Since both Dominic and Francis fought together for the church, they should shine together.  

The church, which Christ bought at a high cost on the cross, was moving slowly in its mission, unsure of itself, and reduced in number. So God, seeing the state of his church, sent two champions to reorient his wayward people.  

In the town of Caleruega Spain, Dominic was born. He was so filled with power, even in the womb, that his mother prophesied that her son would set the world on fire. His godmother also had a dream that his intellectual gifts would illumine the world. Dominic’s first instinct was humility, and he walked in poverty in his early days. While so many men pursue worldly gain, Dominic sought only to teach the true faith. He traveled about in his early days doing that. When given the chance, he didn’t ask for any type of office that would provide him with riches, but wanted to combat heresy. He went straight to the most difficult heresies of the day, and from his example, several different ministries were born that would help the church thrive. 

Alas, after he died, his followers didn’t keep to the original aim, and now even goes in the opposite direction, but they’ll unfortunately lament this when they are thrown out with the weeds at judgment, 

though there are still, to be sure, some that adhere to the original vision. But you find these among several of the more prominent offshoots, which either shrink from the original goal and relax the order’s rules, or others that try to make them even more restrictive. 

Here the speaker names himself as Bonaventure. He also names Illuminato da Rieti and Augustine, two of the early followers of St Francis, Hugo of St Victor, Peter Mangiadore and Peter Spano, Nathan the prophet, John Chrysostom, Anselm, Donatus, Rabanus, and the Calabrian Abbot Joachim.  

He finishes by stating that the gracious and clear speech of Thomas had moved him to celebrate Dominic, and moved the entire circle as well.  

The Tree of Culture- Ralph Linton  (1951) 
This book covers cultural developments the world over. The areas he groups together are Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Europe, the Earliest Civilizations (Mesopotamia and Egypt), the Mediterranean (Crete, Greece, Northern tribes that migrated south, the Roman peninsula, and Islam), Africa, India, China, and Japan. 

Linton sees three major jumps that moved civilization forward: 1) tools, fire, and language; 2) raising crops and domesticating animals; 3) the scientific method and how to obtain power from heat.  

Fascism and the Doctrine of National Socialism- H.R. Morgan  (2015) 
This is the third book of H.R. Morgan’s that I’ve read. He writes about the political theory of fascism from a modern fascist lense, but quotes extensively from historical sources as well as modern. The first book covered the “total society” that fascism sought to bring about, the second covered in more detail the political theory of the corporative state, and this third covers the specific form of fascism that arose in German- National socialism. I became interested in fascism because in today’s political landscape, the left tends to call the right “fascists”, which I was fairly certain, they had no idea what an actual fascist was. Then I realized I didn’t really know what actual fascists believed either, which sent me on a mission to figure it out. So here I am, reading more fascist literature than I ever really want, but determined to understand it as best as I can from their point of view.  

This book, like all of HR Morgan’s works, are compilations of the writings of the movement’s leaders, which is a good thing. The book is divided into two parts: Fascism and National Socialism. 

If I were going to give a brief distinction, both are related totalitarian ideologies pushing the primacy of the nation. Fascism concerns itself more with national consciousness, National Socialism focuses on the primacy of “the white race”, and arrives at something like a fascist social state. I’m not sure fascism’s core demands racial homogeneity, though the first part of the book seemed to stress it, while national socialism most definitely starts with white superiority as the basis for the rest. Letting the national socialists speak for themselves, they consider themselves flawless logicians, backed by hard science. But I find many of their arguments to be flawed at best and at times outright contradictory.  

The History of Venice- John Julius Norwich  (1982) 
The history of Venice starts with the inhabitants of the mainland in the northeast of Italy seeking refuge from the barbarian invasions of the fifth century. It discusses the evolution of its oligarchy; how it became a republic of merchants and traders through its prowess in the seas; and its rocky relationship with the rest of the Italian mainland. The book goes up until 1797 and Napoleon’s invasion when the Doges were undone as an independent governing structure.  

Brideshead Revisited- Evelyn Waugh  (1945) 
Chronicle’s the life of Charles Ryder and his friendship with the Flyte family, wealthy English Catholics. His first friend in the family is Sebastian, who eventually retreats into alcoholism. But in later years he develops a romantic relationship with Sebastian’s sister Julia. The novel covers a time period from just after WWI to through WWII.  

Sophie’s Choice- William Styron  (1979) 
Southerner Stingo (we never get his last name) moves to NY to be a writer, and while living in Flatbush, meets Nathan Landau and his girlfriend Sophie Zowistowska, a Polish Catholic survivor of Auschwitz. The title stands for a choice that has no good outcome.  

Nathan is a drug addict. A high-functioning addict, but a drug addict nonetheless, which gives him over to bouts of mania. When not on drugs, he is a charming, exceptionally intelligent man. He had saved Sophie from malnutrition, and she dearly loves him. But he is extremely jealous and prone to accusing her of infidelity. 

The first night Stingo is in the boarding house in Flatbush, he hears Nathan and Sophie making furious love. But the next morning, Nathan has turned abusive. Nathan then confronts Stingo as a southern racist. When Stingo reacts, Nathan apologizes, and the three become friends. 

After one of Nathan’s manic bouts, he leaves Sophie and Sophie, desperately heartbroken, pours her story out to Stingo about her time in the concentration camp. She recalls how her father had been a rabid anti-Semite, fully captured by Nazi ideology, but was shot anyway by the Nazi’s as a useless Pole. While in the concentration camp, she had gained a position of relative comfort by being fluent in German, French, and Russian too, and worked as a secretary for the camp commander, Rudolf Hoss. She tried to seduce him in order to obtain a favor for her son, but was rebuffed. It is revealed that when she first arrived, the Germans gave her a choice of which of her two children would immediately be gassed, at which point she chose her daughter so that her son could live. All this guilt lives with Sophie as a survivor. 

Back in America, Nathan, a Jew, is increasingly manic and abusive towards her, seeing her in his worst moments as the epitome of all those that collaborated with the Nazis to kill Jews.  

We come to find out through Nathan’s brother that he is mentally disturbed, and has been in and out of mental institutions regularly. As the story comes closer to the end, Nathan finally ends up accusing Stingo of having an affair with Sophie and threatens to kill them. Stingo flees NY with Sophie, returning to his hometown in Virginia and promising to marry Sophie and live there. She spends the night with him, then returns to NY where she and Nathan commit suicide by taking cyanide pills.  

The Postman Always Rings Twice- James M. Cain  (1934) 
Very short novel about a tramp, Frank, traveling through southern California, who stops at a roadside diner/gas station run by a Greek, Nick, and his American wife, Cora. Frank needs a job and Nick needs someone to help work the gas station. But Frank falls for the wife Cora, who hates her life there, and they plot to kill her husband. They finally manage it, and after a trial where they are almost convicted, but ultimately set free, they settle down to get married. But Cora dies in a car accident and this time the truth about their murder is discovered. The book ends with Frank on death row.