Effects of Comedy on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Cancer Survivors and Its Associations With the Big Five Personality Traits: A Post Hoc Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study is a post hoc analysis of a single-arm trial to determine whether daily viewing of comedy videos for four weeks improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and oxidative stress in cancer survivors (UMIN-CTR 000044880). There are no reports of personality traits affecting HRQOL improvement. The purpose of this post hoc analysis was to identify associations with personality traits that may improve HRQOL. METHODOLOGY: This analysis compared the baseline scores on the Ten-Item Personality Inventory-Japanese version (TIPI-J) for personality traits in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-G (FACT-G) groups with improved or worsened scores. This grouping was based on the results of previous studies. In addition, the EuroQOL 5 dimension 3 level (EQ-5D-3L), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score, biological antioxidant potential (BAP), reactive oxygen metabolite-derived compounds, oxidative stress index, and potential antioxidant potential were assessed for each group. Items related to oxidative stress were tested using t-tests, while other items were tested using Friedman's analysis of variance. RESULTS: Forty-three participants completed the analysis (FACT-G improved [up group], n = 25; FACT-G decreased [down group], n = 18). No significant differences in the TIPI-J items existed between the two groups. Significant items for oxidative stress in the FACT-G up group were BAP (P = 0.04, Cohen's d = 0.32) and potential antioxidant capacity (P = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.41). In the FACT-G down group, the significant item was potential antioxidant capacity (P = 0.03, Cohen's​​​​​​​ d = 0.46). The FACT-G up group had significant changes over time in the scores of the EuroQOL Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS; χ2 = 21.151 [df = 4]; P < 0.01), HADS-anxiety (χ2 = 24.579 [df = 4]; P < 0.01), and HADS-depression (χ2 = 29.068 [df = 4]; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that cancer survivors' personality traits did not influence the effects of viewing comedy. It has been suggested that the group with increased FACT-G may have had an improvement in the EQ-VAS, HADS, and potential antioxidant capacity independent of FACT-G.

Corrigendum: "Beyond laughter": a systematic review to understand how interventions utilise comedy for individuals experiencing mental health problems.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1161703.].

Comedy as dissonant rhetoric.

This article considers the normative and critical value of popular comedy. I begin by assembling and evaluating a range of political theory literature on comedy. I argue that popular comedy can be conducive to both critical and transformative democratic effects, but that these effects are contingent on the way comedic performances are received by audiences. I illustrate this by means of a case study of a comedic climate change 'debate' from the television show, Last Week Tonight. Drawing from recent scholarship on deliberation, judgment and rhetoric, I highlight both critical and transformative dimensions of the performance. I attribute these to the vignette's likely reception, which I describe as 'dissonant' - unresolved, affectively turbulent and aesthetically attuned. I argue that comedy is uniquely positioned to spur such 'dissonant' modes of engagement and, in so doing, to promote acknowledgement and reflective judgment.

Efficacy of Comedy on Health-Related Quality of Life and Oxidative Stress in Cancer Survivors.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer survivors have reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL) due to impaired daily functioning. In addition, daily stress leads to worsening oxidative stress. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of laughter therapy on HRQOL and oxidative stress in cancer survivors. METHODS: This before-and-after study asked cancer survivors to watch a 15-minute or longer comedy video over a four-week period to assess the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), EuroQOL 5 dimension 3-level (EQ-5D-3L), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), biological Antioxidant Potential (BAP), Reactive Oxygen Metabolites-derived compounds (d-ROMs), Oxidative Stress Index (OSI), and the antioxidant/oxidative stress ratio. RESULTS: The nonparametric Friedman test showed significant increases from baseline in FACT-G and EQ-VAS scores and significant decreases in HADS-Anxiety and HADS-Depression scores. Post hoc analyses showed that these items commonly differed significantly at baseline versus three and four weeks after Bonferroni correction. T-test results in the biological analysis revealed small and moderate effects with significant differences in BAP (p < 0.01, d = 0.49), OSI (p = 0.03, d = 0.33), and BAP/d-ROMs (p < 0.01, d = 0.51). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that daily comedy viewing may be an effective intervention to improve quality of life and antioxidant capacity in cancer survivors. Considering its safety, convenience, and low cost, it should be considered a high-value intervention for cancer survivors.

"Beyond laughter": a systematic review to understand how interventions utilise comedy for individuals experiencing mental health problems.

Introduction: There is evidence for the impact of comedy and humour for mental health and wellbeing. Existing systematic reviews have concluded laughter has a positive impact on wellbeing, however other potential benefits of comedy interventions have remained under explored. The aim of the current study was to synthesise current evidence for comedy/humour interventions and evaluate mechanisms through which comedy interventions may impact upon the recovery of those experiencing psychological distress, using the Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Purpose and Empowerment (CHIME) framework. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched for studies exploring the impact of interventions using comedy on wellbeing and mental health recovery, from earliest record until January 2023. Grey literature was obtained via contacting experts in comedy interventions for mental health and supplemented by an internet search for comedy interventions. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to include primary data, published in English or German, and explore a population of adults, with self-reported distress or a self-reported/diagnosed mental health condition. Studies included only explored interventions which utilised comedy as the main intervention and aimed to induce 'simulated' laughter, in response to a stimulus. 17 studies were included in the review. Results: Studies were found to have positive impact on mental health symptoms and several mechanisms of the CHIME framework for recovery, including connectedness, hope, identity and empowerment. Potential theorised mechanisms for change included confidence in new skills, promotion of social skills, opportunities for social interaction, laughter, vulnerability, and cognitive flexibility. The current review found that comedy/humour interventions are beneficial for mental health recovery and wellbeing and found preliminary evidence for a range of mechanisms through which comedy may have positive impact. Discussion: Further research should focus on qualitative exploration of the mechanisms by which comedy interventions may have impact on wellbeing and mental health recovery for specific populations and within different settings. It is concluded that there is a need for transdisciplinary collaboration in research on comedy interventions, which brings together the expertise of comedians delivering/developing interventions, those with lived experience of mental health issues and researchers from both health sciences and humanities disciplines.

Effect of meditation music and comedy movie interventions on postoperative kinesiophobia and pain in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effects of music and comedy movie interventions on postoperative pain and kinesiophobia in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: This randomized-controlled study was carried out with the participation of patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. The patients were divided into three groups. To reduce surgical pain and kinesiophobia, the patients in group 1 watched a comedy movie, those in group 2 listened to music, and those in group 3 did not participate in any intervention other than the routine practices of the clinic. RESULTS: The personal and medical characteristics of the patients in all groups were similar. The patients in all three groups were kinesiophobic, and their surgical pain levels were moderate despite pharmaceutical interventions. Groups 1 and 2 had a statistically significant decrease in kinesiophobia and pain scores after the interventions. The effects of having patients watch a comedy movie and having them listen to meditation music were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that listening to meditation music or watching comedy movie scenes had significant positive effects in alleviating postoperative pain and kinesiophobia after TKA. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that patients watch comedy movies and listen to meditation music to alleviate their postoperative pain and kinesiophobia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT, NCT05471778. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov.

Combination of Digital and Conventional Intervention for Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevention among Female Sex Workers.

Background: Female sex workers (FSWs) are at a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infection (STI). Mobile health (m-health) is one intervention that is easily accessible to everyone online and offline, allowing two-way communication through the program. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of m-health on STI prevention behavior among FSW. Methods: The study was conducted using quasi-experimental design. It included the treatment group and the control group, each of which included fifty-four (54) FSWs selected by purposive sampling. The m-health intervention was conducted in the form of a short comedy movie on YouTube, combined with offline assertive communication training to improve skills in negotiating the use of condoms to the intervention group. Meanwhile, the control group received regular counseling from the local community health center. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the knowledge, attitudes, motivation, and behavior among the two study groups. Results: Intervention for six months in the treatment group increased FSWs knowledge score by 4.0 (p=0.00), attitude by 3.9 (p=0.00), and motivation by 12 (p=0.00). The median knowledge, attitude, and motivation scores were 17.38 and 46, respectively. The model is effective onSTI-prevention behavior through motivational mediator variables with a p-value of 0.00. The condom consistency has the highest outer loading value in the STI-prevention behavior construct of 0.71 ≥ 0.4. Conclusions: A combination of digital and conventional health promotion can improve STI prevention behavior by raising knowledge, attitudes, motivation, and condom consistency behavior.

Application research of situation comedy teaching combined with peer teaching in clinical practice teaching of undergraduate nursing students / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the application effect of situation comedy teaching combined with peer teaching in clinical practice teaching of undergraduate nursing students.Methods:A total of 96 undergraduate nursing students who practiced in a first-class hospital at grade 3 in 2019 were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, with 48 nursing students in each group. The control group adopted clinical teaching mode, including group theory teaching and group operation demonstration. On the basis of this, the observation group additionally adopted the clinical teaching mode of situation comedy teaching combined with peer teaching. The differences between the two groups in the assessment of nursing knowledge and skills assessment, independent learning ability and teaching satisfaction were observed. SPSS 20.0 software was used for t-test. Results:After the implementation of clinical teaching, the scores of nursing comprehensive ability of nursing students in the observation group (87.71 ± 5.11) were higher than those in the control group (78.47±6.24) ( P < 0.05). The independent learning ability of nursing students in the observation group (98.80±10.61) was significantly higher than that in the control group (74.47±9.83), and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The score of teaching satisfaction in the observation group (2.83±7.07) was significantly higher than that in the control group (50.17±6.75), and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:The application of situation domedy teaching combined with peer teaching in the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students can improve their independent learning ability and clinical practice ability. Meanwhile, the process of teachers and students participating in situational experience and peer analysis and discussion can increase the teacher-student interaction, and improve the satisfaction of nursing students with clinical teaching.

Murmullos en la ciudad. Humanización médica en clave de comedia romántica / Murmurs in the city. Medical humanization in romantic comedy key

Este filme se enfoca en parte de la historia de un médico según se expresa inicialmente en un escrito sobrepuesto Tal profesional es fundador de una clínica donde se aborda a los pacientes humanizada e integralmente. Aunque carece del carácter épico de otras producciones cinematográficas sobre médicos y Medicina, lo humanitario sobrevuela de manera constante a lo largo de la trama.Además, siendo una comedia romántica dramática no evita tratar algunos temas polémicos para el entonces vigente macartismo anticomunista.La susodicha humanización médica y este plus subyacente en una ficción apriorísticamente ligera estimuló y guio la redacción de este trabajo. (AU)

This film focuses on part of the story of a doctor as initially expressed in a superimposed writing. Such a professional is the founder of a clinic where patients are humanely and comprehensively approached. While lacking the epic character of other cinematographic productions on doctors and Medicine, the humanism constantly hovers throughout the plot.In addition, being a romantic and dramatic comedy, it does not avoid dealing some controversial issues for the then current anti-communist McCarthyism.The aforementioned medical humanization and this underlying plus in an a priori light fiction stimulated and guided the drafting of this paper. (AU)

Standup comedy principles and the personal monologue to explore interpersonal bias: experiential learning in a health disparities course.

BACKGROUND: Interpersonal biases between clinicians and patients contribute to disparities in health care and outcomes by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We used standup comedy principles and exercises to help medical students recognize how others perceive them and how they perceive others, and engage in difficult discussions around implicit biases and interpersonal racism. METHODS: 90 min Zoom workshop with 40 first-year medical students in urban medical school. Intervention consisted of three exercises: Naming icebreaker, Rant and Rave (communicate strong perspective clearly), and Personal Monologue about how others perceive you and how you perceive yourself. Discussion debriefed the personal monologue exercise. Likert scale questions on post-session survey evaluated workshop overall, whether workshop increased skills, and safety of learning environment. Open-ended questions included what trainees liked about the module, what could be improved, and what impact the module had on them? RESULTS: Seventeen (42.5%) students responded to survey. Six respondents identified as white, 4 as Asian, 1 as Black, 1 as multiracial, and 5 did not identify. Seventy-six percent rated the module as "very good" or "excellent", and 94% would recommend the module to others. Most respondents reported the workshop helped them become better listeners (75%) and more observant (82%). Eighty-three percent reported the training could help them take better care of patients with lived experiences different than their own. All respondents believed the learning environment was safe, and 94% reported that instructors created an atmosphere in which they could take risks. Thirty-six percent felt stressed. Students reported the workshop helped them recognize their own identities, others' perceptions, and bidirectional biases, and inspired them to strive for more accurate, authentic interactions with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Standup comedy principles show promise for engaging students in meaningful, safe discussions about perceptions and interpersonal biases rooted in their own personal experiences and those of their classmates.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): an "infernal" endocrinological observation.

The year 2021 marks the 700th anniversary of Dante's death. Is it appropriate to celebrate this anniversary in a journal of endocrinology? The answer is yes-the motivation for this being found in the giants that Dante, in his Divine Comedy, places around the well that divides Circle 8 from Circle 9 of Hell. The "Supreme Poet" describes one of the giants (Nimrod, a Biblical character) as having a large and elongated face with a body of gargantuan proportions. Such a description immediately calls to mind the characteristics of acromegalic prognathism, the huge stature being the most pathognomonic aspect. Is it possible that the sharp eye of Dante had observed such a feature in people affected by actual gigantism?

What Makes Things Funny? An Integrative Review of the Antecedents of Laughter and Amusement.

Despite the broad importance of humor, psychologists do not agree on the basic elements that cause people to experience laughter, amusement, and the perception that something is funny. There are more than 20 distinct psychological theories that propose appraisals that characterize humor appreciation. Most of these theories leverage a subset of five potential antecedents of humor appreciation: surprise, simultaneity, superiority, a violation appraisal, and conditions that facilitate a benign appraisal. We evaluate each antecedent against the existing empirical evidence and find that simultaneity, violation, and benign appraisals all help distinguish humorous from nonhumorous experiences, but surprise and superiority do not. Our review helps organize a disconnected literature, dispel popular but inaccurate ideas, offers a framework for future research, and helps answer three long-standing questions about humor: what conditions predict laughter and amusement, what are the adaptive benefits of humor, and why do different people think vastly different things are humorous?

Hábitos alimentarios y percepción de la imagen corporal en un grupo de adolescentes que realizan comedia musical / Eating habits and body image perception in a group of adolescents who perform musical comedy

Resumen Los hábitos alimentarios son un conjunto de costumbres que condicionan la forma en que las personas o grupos sociales seleccionan, preparan y consumen los alimentos. Si bien se adquieren durante la infancia y la familia desempeña un papel fundamental en la configuración del patrón alimentario, al alcanzar la adolescencia, el papel de la familia pierde relevancia y el grupo de amigos/as y las referencias sociales se convierten en condicionantes claves de la dieta de las/os adolescentes. La adolescencia es una etapa de cambios, tanto a nivel fisiológico como psicológico. Estos cambios influyen directamente sobre el equilibrio nutricional en este singular momento. El objetivo de esta investigación fue describir los hábitos alimentarios y la percepción de la imagen corporal en un grupo de estudiantes de comedia musical. El enfoque metodológico adoptado fue cualitativo. Se pudo observar que la mayoría de las/os adolescentes entrevistadas/os tienden a omitir comidas, principalmente, por falta de tiempo por sus rutinas cargadas de actividades. También se observó que, en épocas cercanas a una presentación en el escenario, muchas/os adolescentes modifican su conducta alimentaria, omitiendo o evitando algunos alimentos buscando sentirse bien con su cuerpo en el escenario. Asimismo, hicieron referencia a la incomodidad de utilizar determinados vestuarios ya que se sienten muy expuestos, y en relación a esto mencionaron que evitaban algunos alimentos durante las muestras teatrales. En este sentido, este trabajo de investigación contribuye a entender cómo la percepción del cuerpo influye en las conductas alimentarias de los/as adolescentes que formaron parte del proyecto.

Abstract The term eating habits refers to the set of customs which shape the way in which individuals or groups of individuals select, prepare and consume their food. Even though these habits are acquired during childhood and family plays a substantial role in the development of the habit, upon reaching adolescence, the role of the family loses relevance and the group of friends and social references become key determinants in the diet of adolescents. Adolescence is a transitional stage, both at a psychological and physical level, with changes that influence directly on the nutritional balance of the adolescent. The purpose of this research was to analyse the relationship between eating habits and body image perception among a group of students who perform musical comedy via qualitative method. What was observed was that the majority of the interviewees tend to skip meals, mainly due to lack of time as a result of having overloaded routines. It was also observed that, in times close to performing on stage, many adolescents modify their eating behaviour, omitting or avoiding some foods in order to feel good about their body on stage. They also made reference to the discomfort of using certain costumes since they feel very exposed, and in relation to this they mentioned that they avoided some foods during theatrical shows. In this sense, this research contributes to understanding how the perception of the body influences the eating behaviours of the adolescents who were part of the project.

The effects of watching comedy videos on anxiety and vital signs in surgical oncology patients.

BACKGROUND: Cancer, a disease as old as recorded human history, causes patients pain and psychological problems. Watching comedy videos can distract these patients, relieving psychological issues without causing any further harm. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on patients who were candidates for oncologic surgery at a university hospital in Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 88 patients. Before surgery, patients in the experimental group (n = 44) watched comedy videos while those in the control group (n = 44) received no intervention. The Patient Introduction and Registration Form and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used as data collection tools. Anxiety, measured by the STAI, and vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and oxygen saturation) were measured before and after the experimental protocol. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and t-test were used in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The pretest of STAI scores and vital signs were similar in both groups (p  >  0.05). After video watching, the mean state anxiety score of the patients was 43.36 ± 9.76 in the experimental group and 47.13 ± 5.76 in the control group. The difference between the mean anxiety scores of the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in vital signs across groups (p > 0.05). Within group pre- versus post-treatment comparisons showed significant reduction in anxiety, diastolic and systolic blood pressures in the video group (p<0.05), while in controls, there was no significant improvement in anxiety and physiologic values. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that watching comedy videos has a beneficial effect on pre-operative anxiety and blood pressure in surgical oncology patients.

Multivariate Identification of Functional Neural Networks Underpinning Humorous Movie Viewing.

While univariate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis methods have been utilized successfully to map brain areas associated with cognitive and emotional functions during viewing of naturalistic stimuli such as movies, multivariate methods might provide the means to study how brain structures act in concert as networks during free viewing of movie clips. Here, to achieve this, we generalized the partial least squares (PLS) analysis, based on correlations between voxels, experimental conditions, and behavioral measures, to identify large-scale neuronal networks activated during the first time and repeated watching of three ∼5-min comedy clips. We identified networks that were similarly activated across subjects during free viewing of the movies, including the ones associated with self-rated experienced humorousness that were composed of the frontal, parietal, and temporal areas acting in concert. In conclusion, the PLS method seems to be well suited for the joint analysis of multi-subject neuroimaging and behavioral data to quantify a functionally relevant brain network activity without the need for explicit temporal models.

Effects of mirthful laughter on pain tolerance: A randomized controlled investigation.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects many people. Currently, there is no single treatment known to cure or assure relief from chronic pain. Accordingly, the management of patients' discomfort is an integral part of treating chronic pain. Such treatment, however, is not effective for many patients. We investigated whether mirthful laughter provided by comic relief can influence pain tolerance and muscle soreness in young healthy participants. METHODS: Forty participants underwent a randomized controlled cross-over designed experiment. Each participant was exposed to a comedy video eliciting mirthful laughter and an uninteresting documentary. Delayed onset muscle soreness was induced in one leg at a time by eccentric exercise. Pain tolerance was tested using blunt force application and assessed subjectively using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: Watching the comedy video elicited a significantly greater irregular breathing pattern compared with watching the documentary video (p < 0.001). After watching the comedy, the participants' positive affect was increased (Δ2 ±â€¯1) while it was largely decreased (Δ-11 ±â€¯2) after watching the documentary video (p < 0.001). Pain tolerance was decreased by 17 ±â€¯5 N after viewing the documentary video (p < 0.001), but did not change significantly after watching the comedy. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty minutes of watching a comedy eliciting laughter favorably influenced pain tolerance in healthy humans. CLINICAL TRIAL NO.: #NCT02896075.

The Effect of Comedy Films on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Surgical Oncology Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of watching Turkish comedy films on postoperative pain and anxiety in oncology surgical patients. DESIGN: This study was conducted using a pre- and post-test randomized controlled trial model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a general surgery clinic of a hospital in eastern Turkey between January 2016 and January 2017. The sample of the study consisted of 88 patients (44 test, 44 control) selected by using the randomized sampling method. In the experimental group, funny videos from Turkish old comedy movies were watched for 10 min before surgery. Anxiety, measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and vital signs were measured before and after the experimental protocol. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, χ2 and t test were used. RESULTS: The state-trait anxiety pre- and post-test mean score of the experimental group was found to be 39.59 ± 3.66 and 37.54 ± 3.52 before and after watching the video, respectively, indicating a statistically significant difference between these two values (p ≤ 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the pre- and post-test state-trait anxiety scores of the patients in the control group. The decrease from the pre- to post-test mean pain score was determined as 0.65 ± 1.05 in the experimental group and 0.11 ± 0.96 in the control group. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups' post-test mean pain scores (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study results suggest that watching Turkish comedy movie videos has a positive effect on postoperative pain and anxiety in surgical oncology patients.

Humor doesn't retire: Improvisation as a health-promoting intervention for older adults.

As our population ages and aging in place continues to remain a priority of older adults, identifying novel ways to promote the wellbeing of older adults and reduce isolation is of the utmost importance. The Second City is a Chicago-based comedy improvisation organization that provides training in improvisation. One of their training courses, Humor Doesn't Retire, specifically teaches adults 55 and over, on improvisation. This study sought to explore the experiences of older adults enrolled in Humor Doesn't Retire, and to characterize any benefits that older adult participants perceived following participation in the comedy improvisation course. Qualitative analysis was used to identify and describe common themes that emerged in a survey of open-ended questions regarding benefits of the improvisation course on outlook and mood as well as behavior changes. Results for perceived benefits showed main themes of increased positivity, an increased sense of comfort and ease with the unexpected, a sense of self-development and self-awareness, and a feeling of acceptance by their social group. Participants reported that these changes fed into their behaviors, and resulted in enhanced problem solving abilities, greater facility in social situations, and the tangible outcome of an expanded and closer-knit social circle. As the first study in our knowledge to examine the effect of improvisation comedy on healthy older adults, this exploratory analysis has suggested that improvisation comedy may be a mechanism by which to combat several geriatric syndromes, including depression, stress, and isolation - all of which are detrimental to older adults.

Dante's 'Two Suns': Reflections on the psychological sources of the Divine Comedy.

The power of Dante's Divine Comedy is unmistakable, but surprising in view of its theological structure and assumptions that are no longer current among most modern readers. This paper suggests that its power derives from the deep psychological truthfulness with which Dante deals with the painful personal crisis that underlies the poem and is his starting point. It attempts to clarify what may have constituted that crisis, and why the structure of the Comedy, and in particular its use of two guides, Virgil and Beatrice, who might be thought a somewhat incompatible pairing, point significantly to the nature of the solution Dante arrived at. In particular it suggests that the puzzling fictions to do with Statius in the Purgatorio are a clue to Dante's own difficulties in bridging the classical and Christian traditions, and that his highly original solution to these difficulties, by no means conforming to conventional Christian orthodoxy in the 13th/14th century, was needed with special urgency in a time of pervasive civil conflict.