2 0 , ▁a ▁year ▁before ▁his ▁death ▁in ▁ 1 3 2 1 . ▁It ▁is ▁widely ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁pre em inent ▁work ▁in ▁Italian ▁literature ▁and ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁greatest ▁works ▁of ▁world ▁literature . ▁The ▁poem ' s ▁imag in ative ▁vision ▁of ▁the ▁after life ▁is ▁representative ▁of ▁the ▁medieval ▁world - view ▁as ▁it ▁had ▁developed ▁in ▁the ▁Western ▁Church ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century . ▁It ▁helped ▁establish ▁the ▁T us can ▁language , ▁in ▁which ▁it ▁is ▁written , ▁as ▁the ▁standard ized ▁Italian ▁language . ▁It ▁is ▁divided ▁into ▁three ▁parts : ▁In fer no , ▁P urg atorio , ▁and ▁Parad iso . ▁ ▁The ▁narr ative ▁describes ▁D ante ' s ▁travel s ▁through ▁Hell , ▁P urg atory , ▁and ▁Parad ise ▁or ▁Heaven , ▁while ▁alleg or ically ▁the ▁poem ▁represents ▁the ▁soul ' s ▁journey ▁towards ▁God . ▁D ante ▁draw s ▁on ▁medieval ▁Christian ▁the ology ▁and ▁philosophy , ▁especially ▁Thom istic ▁philosophy ▁and ▁the ▁Sum ma ▁The olog ica ▁of ▁Thomas ▁Aqu inas . ▁Con sequently , ▁the ▁Div ine ▁Com edy ▁has ▁been ▁called ▁" the ▁Sum ma ▁in ▁verse ". ▁ ▁In ▁D ante ' s ▁work , ▁Vir g il ▁is ▁presented ▁as ▁human ▁reason ▁and ▁Be atrice ▁is ▁presented ▁as ▁divine ▁knowledge . ▁ ▁The ▁work ▁was ▁originally ▁simply ▁titled ▁Com edia ▁( so ▁also ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁printed ▁edition , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 4 7 2 ). ▁The