We have watched a sinner burn up from a snakebite and reconstitute right in front of the pilgrim Dante's eyes. But who is this damned guy? The answer to that question is as complicated as it gets.
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the revelation of the sinner (Vanni Fucci), the problems with the historical record, and his sin (theft, although maybe not).
Vanni Fucci comes shrouded in historical ambiguities. And he comes into INFERNO comes hauling behind him a giant prophecy about Dante's fate in exile.
Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:
[01:30] My English translation of the passage: Inferno, Canto XXIV, lines 121 - 151. If you'd like to read along, you can find this passage on my website, markscarbrough.com.
[04:28] The revelation of who this is: Vanni Fucci.
[09:40] What does Dante the pilgrim want to know? And did Dante the poet actually know Vanni Fucci?
[14:09] The first part of Vanni Fucci's reply: shame.
[17:31] The second part of Vanni Fucci's reply: the confession of his crime.
[24:13] The third part of Vanni Fucci's reply: the (ostensible) "prophecy" of the Black/White Guelph war in Tuscany that will lead to the poet's exile.
[28:15] Three points about this prophecy: its metamorphoses and metaphorics.
[31:21] One final point about Fucci's prophecy: it's the last of four such prophecies given to Dante the pilgrim in INFERNO (Ciacco's in Canto VI, Farinata's in Canto X, Brunetto Latini's in Canto XV, and Fucci's here).
[33:51] The final revelation of Fucci's motives: to make the pilgrim suffer. Nobody gets out of hell unscathed.