55 pages • 1 hour read
Kingdom of the Cursed
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Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of graphic violence, self-harm, illness and death, gender discrimination, and sexual content.
Literary Context: The Influence of Dante’s Inferno
By opening with a quote from Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem Inferno, Kingdom of the Cursed positions itself within a long literary tradition of journeys into the underworld. Dante’s text is probably the most well-known and influential depiction of hell in Western literature and, by opening with a quote from it, Maniscalco makes its significance to her own work explicit, as well as providing a counterpoint for her novel’s differences.
The opening quote is taken from the speech of Charon, ferryman of the dead, as he prepares to take the souls of the dead to hell, along with Dante himself who has traveled to hell as an observer through divine intervention. These words act in both works to mark the crossing of a boundary, hinting at the trials and dangers which will follow. By placing Charon’s words before Emilia enters Hell in the novel, Maniscalco both foreshadows Emilia’s journey and mirrors Dante’s creation of narrative tension and suspense.
Maniscalco also draws on Dante’s use of a protagonist who is a soul passing through hell as an observer. As he progresses through hell, Dante see souls punished in a manner that reflects their earthly sins, a concept known as contrapasso (meaning “to suffer the opposite”).
