"Purgatorio relates in thirty-three cantos Dante's progress, still with Virgil as his guide, up the mountain of purgatory, where souls expiate their sins before they enter heaven. As hell has circles, purgatory has terraces, one above the other, each representing one of the seven mortal sins. In each, an appropriate type of penance is practiced, and the spirit ascending the mountain must cleanse itself of each sin of which it is guilty.".

"Since Robert Hollander is a master teacher whose achievements as a Dante scholar are unsurpassed in the English-speaking world, the introduction and commentaries that accompany each canto offer superb guidance in essential matters of comprehension and interpretation."--BOOK JACKET.