What's so funny?

I never got the title of this book- one of my all time favourites. Reading it twice, I never once came across anything remotely funny at all. SO keep in mind, that this is not a comedy book.

Rather, it's one of the darkest, most disturbing poems ever written. That's right- the book is one giant poem, divided into three parts- Inferno, Purgetorio, and Paridiso. The writing isn't that of a normal poem either- you really have to focus to understand what the author is saying. if you don't, you'll be lost. Welcome to Dante's comedy.

Written in the late fifteenth-century by an Italian author named Dante, he is the main charcter in this book. The story is about a man's journey to God, and understanding of life. It starts out with Dante lost in the dark woods
after temptation and sin drove him there. Through his love for another, Beatrice, a roman shade (ghost) of the poet Virgil, helps Dante escape to bring him to Beatrice and show him the light of God. But to do that, they must first journey through Hell, and its nine circles. This is the most distrurbing part of the book, with descriptions of the fates of people in various circles and what they must do for enternity. If you're light-hearted, don't read this. From there on they must journey through Purgetorio, and then finally to Heaven, Paridiso. The entire book is striking in how it can grab onto you (if you can understand it), and is a testement to the qualities of the author and the expertise of the translators. There's an opening by another author at the beginning, and some definitions (in case you need help understanding), and that's it. But really, for this you don't need much.