![]() Virgilio’s existential status will come to the fore again in this canto, whose opening gambit is worth parsing in some detail. By pointing to Dante-pilgrim’s indirect language, the narrator suggests the difficulty of broaching the topic of escape from Limbo to one of its eternal prisoners. ![]() If we think back, we realize that a certain carefulness in speech has been a feature of Dante-pilgrim’s relationship to his guide: for instance, his question to Virgilio in Inferno 4 (has anyone ever exited this place for heaven, either through his own merit or someone else’s?) is labeled by the narrator “parlar coverto” (covert speech) in Inferno 4.51. Dante uses language and its interruption to depict interiority in a scene where two people are somewhat at cross purposes (one of them tries and fails to reassure the other), but at the same time are deeply protective of each other’s feelings. (Of course, Auerbach says much the same about the next canto, Inferno 10, in his classic essay in Mimesis.) I can think of no other contemporary text that manipulates dialogue and direct discourse with such sophistication, with the goal of creating intimacy, affect, and dramatic tension. The scene that follows focuses on the deepening intimacy and psychological connectedness of the two travelers. Inferno 9 picks up the story, emphasizing the doubt and concern that Virgilio is feeling, despite his reassuring words. As we shall see, Virgilio will use the same pronoun “tal” a third time, as he fends off uncertainty at the beginning of Inferno 9, thus providing an immediate lexical link back to the end of Inferno 8. Virgilio will use the pronoun “tal” again at the end of Inferno 8, now referring to the specific emissary that is already speeding through Hell to Dante’s aid: “ tal che per lui ne fia la terra aperta” (the one who will open this realm for us ). In order to reassure his disciple, Virgilio refers to the transcendent force that legitimizes their journey, saying categorically that their journey cannot be hindered because of its origin: “Non temer ché ’l nostro passo / non ci può tòrre alcun: da tal n’è dato” (Do not fear, no one can hinder our passage One so great has granted it ). The pronoun is first used in Inferno 8.105 by Virgilio. ![]() A key little word that carries over from the last part of Inferno 8 to the opening of Inferno 9 is the indefinite pronoun “tal” (“such a one”, a shortened form of tale), which is used by Virgilio to refer to the unknown being who will come to their assistance. With the shared story-line, there is a shared lexicon. Inferno 8 ends in medias res, while Dante and Virgilio are still blocked from entrance to the city guarded by devils. As we saw, this story is literally “suspended” at the canto’s end, thus generating narrative suspense. We pick up a story-line that began in Inferno 8, which narrates the attempt of Dante and Virgilio to gain entrance to the city of Dis.
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