One of the most well-known works of all time is Dante's Divine Comedy, beginning with Inferno. Written as a poem, Inferno details Dante's journey through Hell with a great deal of symbolism. Skipping the editor's introduction (why would I read through Paolo Milano's XXXIX pages when I bought a book called The Portable Dante?), I found the first piece in my book, The Portable Dante, to be Inferno.
As far as story goes, there's not one more iconic than Inferno. Canto I is like any first chapter; Dante is not in Hell yet. After all, what fun would Lord of the Rings be if we began Fellowship with Frodo in Mt. Doom? None at all! (Though, I must say that it would've been quite easy for the eagles to simply fly over the volcano and drop the ring in the lava.) Dante finds himself in his middle years, in an oppressive forest. While walking through it, he encounters many strange, even threatening creatures, and the ghost of a poet.
"Not man; man once I was."
The poet is an old ghost from a pre-Christian time who was denied passage into heaven. Dante goes with him, and Canto I ends.
Inferno is a bit hard to read, due to its format, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
