The Duelist Never Read Dante

I forget the man's name, but I once read an account of a 17th-century Neapolitan nobleman who had fought more than 20 duels (and killed 14 people) over the matter of who was the greatest Italian poet, Dante or Ariosto. Seeking salvation on his deathbed, the duelist admitted he had never read the poetry of either man.

A smiling bearded man wearing a medieval-style metal helmet appears beneath a story about a Neapolitan nobleman who killed 14 people fighting over whether Dante or Ariosto was the greater poet, despite never reading either poet. The joke is the absurd revelation that the duelist risked his life over an opinion he could not substantiate, making the image a reaction to confidently arguing about something without knowing anything about it.

• @eternalclassic / 644 2021-10-01