但丁的《神曲》是西方世界除了《圣经》以外，影响力最大的一本书。但丁本人也成为西方三大著名诗人之一，被称为意大利语之父，文学的三大精神源泉之一。《神曲》分为《地狱篇》、《炼狱篇》和《天堂篇》来展开故事情节。《神曲（炼狱篇）》为中间篇内容，为全英文读本。

I. The Shores of Purgatory. The Four Stars. Cato of Utica.

 The Rush.

II. The Celestial Pilot. Casella. The Departure.

III. Discourse on the Limits of Reason.

 The Foot of the Mountain.

 Those who died in Contumacy of Holy Church.

 Manfredi.

IV. Farther Ascent. Nature of the Mountain.

 The Negligent, who postponed Repentance till the last Hour.

 Belacqua.

V. Those who died by Violence, but repentant.

 Buonconte di Monfeltro. La Pia.

VI. Dante's Inquiry on Prayers for the Dead.

 Sordello. Italy.

VII. The Valley of Flowers. Negligent Princes.

VIII. The Guardian Angels and the Serpent. Nino di Gallura.

 The Three Stars. Currado Malaspina.

IX. Dante's Dream of the Eagle.

 The Gate of Purgatory and the Angel.

 Seven P's. The Keys.

X. The Needle's Eye. The First Circle: The Proud.

 The Sculptures on the Wall.

XI. The Humble Prayer. Omberto di Santafiore.

 Oderisi d' Agobbio. Provenzan Salvani.

XII. The Sculptures on the Pavement.

 Ascent to the Second Circle.

XIII. The Second Circle: The Envious. Sapia of Siena.

XIV. Guido del Duca and Renier da Calboli.

 Cities of the Arno Valley.

 Denunciation of Stubbornness.

XV. The Third Circle: The Irascible. Dante's Visions.

 The Smoke.

XVI. Marco Lombardo.

 Lament over the State of the World.

XVII. Dante's Dream of Anger.

 The Fourth Circle: The Slothful.

 Virgil's Discourse of Love.

XVIII. Virgil further discourses of Love and Free Will.

 The Abbot of San Zeno.

XIX. Dante's Dream of the Siren.

 The Fifth Circle: The Avaricious and Prodigal.

 Pope Adrian V.

XX. Hugh Capet. Corruption of the French Crown.

 Prophecy of the Abduction of Pope Boniface VIII and the Sacrilege of Philip the Fair. The Earthquake.

XXI. The Poet Statius. Praise of Virgil.

XXII. Statius' Denunciation of Avarice.

 The Sixth Circle: The Gluttonous.

 The Mystic Tree.

XXIII. Forese.

 Reproof of immodest Florentine Women.

XXIV. Buonagiunta da Lucca. Pope Martin IV, and others.

 Inquiry into the State of Poetry.

XXV. Discourse of Statius on Generation.

 The Seventh Circle: The Wanton.

XXVI. Sodomites.

 Guido Guinicelli and Arnaldo Daniello.

XXVII. The Wall of Fire and the Angel of God.

 Dante's Sleep upon the Stairway,and his Dream of Leah and Rachel.

 Arrival at the Terrestrial Paradise.

XXVIII. The River Lethe. Matilda.

 The Nature of the Terrestrial Paradise.

XXIX. The Triumph of the Church.

XXX. Virgil's Departure. Beatrice. Dante's Shame.

XXXI. Reproaches of Beatrice and Confession of Dante.

 The Passage of Lethe. The Seven Virtues.

 The Griffon.

XXXII. The Tree of Knowledge.

 Allegory of the Chariot.

XXXIII. Lament over the State of the Church.

 Final Reproaches of Beatrice.

 The River Eunoe.