Canto Line Lengths in Dante's Commedia

Canto Lines in
Dante's Commedia

Edited by Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

for Professor John Freccero's
Dante's Paradiso class
Stanford University, Spring 2001

Inferno

Purgatorio

Paradiso

Canto	Lines	Sum
1	136	1
2	142	7
3	136	1
4	151	7
5	142	7
6	115	7
7	130	4
8	130	4
9	133	7
10	136	1
11	115	7
12	139	4
13	151	7
14	142	7
15	124	7
16	136	1
17	136	1
18	136	1
19	133	7
20	130	4
21	139	4
22	151	7
23	148	4
24	151	7
25	151	7
26	142	7
27	136	1
28	142	7
29	139	4
30	148	4
31	145	1
32	139	4
33	157	4
34	139	4
Total:	4720	4

Canto	Lines	Sum
1	136	1
2	133	7
3	145	1
4	139	4
5	136	1
6	151	7
7	136	1
8	139	4
9	145	1
10	139	4
11	142	7
12	136	1
13	154	1
14	151	7
15	145	1
16	145	1
17	139	4
18	145	1
19	145	1
20	151	7
21	136	1
22	154	1
23	133	7
24	154	1
25	139	4
26	148	4
27	142	7
28	148	4
29	154	1
30	145	1
31	145	1
32	160	7
33	145	1

Total:	4755	3

Canto	Lines	Sum
1	142	7
2	148	4
3	130	4
4	142	7
5	139	4
6	142	7
7	148	4
8	148	4
9	142	7
10	148	4
11	139	4
12	145	1
13	142	7
14	139	4
15	148	4
16	154	1
17	142	7
18	136	1
19	148	4
20	148	4
21	142	7
22	154	1
23	139	4
24	154	1
25	139	4
26	142	7
27	148	4
28	139	4
29	145	1
30	148	4
31	142	7
32	151	7
33	145	1

Total:	4758	6

Total lines in Dante's Commedia = 14,233 = 1+4+2+3+3 = 13 = 1 + 3 = 4

Sum = addition of numbers in lines (e.g. 148 = 1 + 4 + 8 = 13 = 1 + 3 = 4)

References:
Charles Singleton, "The Poet's Number at the Center," MLN 80 (1965) 1-10 (Purgatorio symmetry: Cantos 14-20)
J. L. Logan, "The Poet's Central Numbers," MLN 86 (1965) 95-98 (Purgatorio & Paradiso symmetry: Cantos 11-23)
Note: From the above table, we find Inferno sum symmetries at Cantos 8-12, 15-19, 29-33; Purgatorio sum symmetries at Cantos 1-7, 11-23; and Paradiso sum symmetries at Cantos 1-9, 11-23. These sums are outlined in bold with the central canto of the symmetry also underlined.

© Peter Y. Chou, WisdomPortal.com
P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039
email: peter@wisdomportal.com (5-21-2001, updated 6-13-2001)