Final Canti

I think this quote summarizes one of the main concepts we have been discussing throughout the Inferno. As Dante and Virgil come across another character of myth, Virgil promises fame to the creature in order to pacify it: "...this man can give here what is desired; therefore bend down and do not twist your snout. / He can still repay you with fame in the world, for / he is alive and expects long life still, if grace does not call him before his time." (Canti 31, 124-129)

Although the Inferno is fiction, Dante is once again manipulating the plot to give his tale moral credibility. Since myth is a fiction in which truths can be found, Dante writes as if this journey was real in order to put the story on par with traditional mythology. By inserting himself into the story, he is able to actively engage the audience so that they feel as if they took the journey as well, leaving them more open to absorbing the lessons offered. And if the lessons are remembered, the Inferno does indeed become like myth because it has achieved something that is partially eternal since morals are inevitably passed down to each new generation.