Should I read Inferno by Dante?

The long and short of it: Probably
When was it made: Early 14th century

Written by Dante Alighieri, Inferno (Hell) is the first book in the Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is an allegorical poem about the redemption of man, following Dante himself as he is guided through Hell, Purgatory, and eventually Paradise. The first book follows his journey through Hell, showing souls in various states of punishment, all of which is explained to him by the Roman poet Virgil.

Inferno is the best known of the Divine Comedy-so much so that some people don't even know the other two works exist. Any western literature class will eventually cover it, and most people hold it as a badge of honor to have memorized certain lines or stanzas. There are references to the Inferno in almost everything, from the oft-quoted phrase "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," to the names of the Four Fiends in Final Fantasy IV. They are even releasing an action game called Dante's Inferno: just a hunch, but I doubt it will be much like the eponymous work.

Being 700 years old and in Italian, most people will need to get a translated version. It is incredibly important to get a good translation with good notes to help explain the references to pop icons from the 1300s; I recommend the Penguin translations. Now, some people are put off by older books, and others find that the sight of verse sends them into a killing frenzy-I'd recommend trying it, but borrow it from somebody, don't by a copy. If you're looking for a good classical work with some cultural relevance or a fun allegory to bump up your knowledge of religion (be careful, though, the book isn't doctrine to any religion, just an interesting philosophical perspective)(man, I'm a literary fag) than read Inferno. If you are just a beginning reader or really can't stomach older works, than leave it alone for now.

I really loved Inferno, but this is the guy who thinks the Rig Veda is a fun read. It has several different ways to read it and each section has several different layers of understanding. It can be read as a political, social, or religious commentary, and that's only what I noticed. It is absolutely necessary to read the notes, otherwise the majority of the examples will mean nothing to you. The book had its fun moments to, but those are mostly unintentional results of bringing a work with a 1300 mindset to the modern times of political correctness, such as showing every good person who wasn't Christian in the first layer of Hell (there's a good reason and explanation, nevertheless they're in Hell). Overall though, the book has a serious tone, and from the gates to Judecca Dante's punishments are strangely just, giving us insight to the nature of man and of sin.