Dante's Christian epic culminates with an ascent through the nine heavenly spheres, where the angelic Beatrice shows him the secrets of the universe. High points include meeting his great grandfather, Cacciaguida, who explains his mission and destiny, and gazing back at the earth from the Fixed Stars, 65 million miles away and rotating at 4700 miles per second. Heaven is a must-read, the most radiant, hopeful, and challenging part of the poem, where everything comes together in the greatest show on earth. We'll continue to use the Mandelbaum translation.

Moderator: John Tallmadge, retired professor of literature and environment (PhD, Yale, 1977), taught Dante at three universities and two churches; experienced working with undergrads, grad students, and adult learners. (More info at www.johntallmadge.com.)