After reading the course title, several questions may come to mind. First, who is Dante, and what is The Divine Comedy? Second, why should I care about this work in 2021?

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet and statesman who lived between 1265 and 1321. His epic poem The Divine Comedy is considered a masterpiece of the Middle Ages and one of the all-time greatest works of Western literature.

In The Divine Comedy, Dante takes us on a remarkable journey through the circles of the Inferno, up the slope of Mount Purgatory, and finally into the celestial realms of Paradise. Not surprisingly, Dante’s epic poem on character and the afterlife has inspired countless works of art, stories, music, language, and even feature films.

But why should we study Dante today?

Dante wrote this poem to provide an education to anyone facing a great trial or striving to lead an excellent life. The themes of this poem are freedom and justice. And people like you who love liberty will have much to learn from and celebrate in this classic work.

You can watch your exclusive video for this course using the link below.

https://lp.hillsdale.edu/divine-comedy-course-pre-registration/

In the clip, you’ll meet Stephen Smith, your guide through the realms of Dante's Divine Comedy.

Dr. Smith is a professor of English at Hillsdale College. He’s also our dean of humanities and the Temple Family Chair in English Literature. Dr. Smith is an inspiring teacher, and Hillsdale students thoroughly enjoy his courses—so I know you will as well!

After watching the video, please pre-register to take this important free course. We’ve limited pre-registration to the first 20,000 students, so don’t delay.

And, after pre-registering for this important new course, will you also consider giving a special tax-deductible gift?

Your gift will help us reach our $300,000 funding goal to promote the course and other educational efforts.

In this troubled time, we must get the course in front of as many people and families as possible, making your support vital.

As you may know, Hillsdale College refuses EVERY PENNY of government funding—even indirectly in the form of federal or state student loans and grants.

Let’s inspire as many people as possible toward liberty and achieving great things through Dante’s epic poem.

As Dante says, “A little spark gives birth to a great flame.” Thank you for your interest in “Dante’s Divine Comedy.”

Best regards,

Kyle Murnen, '09
Director of Online Learning
Hillsdale College