Beowulf vs Dante: A Literary Comedy Saga

I quite liked Neal Stephenson's 2004 interview on Slashdot, especially his answer to the second question, about the difference between Beowulf and Dante writers. Something I'd been aware of but hadn't really realised until he pithily summed it up. Well worth reading. You can find it here: http://slashdot.org/story/04/10/20/1518217/neal-stephenson-responds-with-wit-and-humor [And while you are there, read Question 3 4. You won't regret it.]