Discussion Question

Please reference Dantes Inferno

Discussion Prompt: Writers may often have a personal agenda, even when writing a fictional story.  In The Inferno, Dante references several people (both historical figures and literary) as he constructs his version of Hell.  With the exception of two people, most of the historical figures were deceased.

While in 2020, a writer has the freedom to express themselves and satirize and caricaturize real life people (i.e Tell-All books), can a writer/author go too far?  How do you feel about this?  Aside from the occasional instances in high schools, books are rarely banned today, and many of the books that were banned in the past may not seem as controversial today as they may have been when they were first published.  What is your position on an author’s artistic expression versus possible defamation?  This is a free discussion, but try to tie your conversation back to examples from The Inferno.  Did Dante go too far?

Explore your answer in 350-400 words minimum, and utilize paragraphs to structure your ideas.