Dante's Enchanting Inferno!

Dante's Inferno has captivated readers for centuries because, for centuries, people have wanted to know what lies beyond death. Dante addresses this like no one before him, and those after him were hardly even imitations. Because of the time period in which he lived, Dante had a unique view of the religion about which he wrote, and his own personal story of exile gave him a unique perspective into the religion that drove him out.
Inferno follows Dante's character of himself, who, having fallen into a midlife crisis of sorts, finds himself at the gates of hell. Reading into Dante (the writer)'s story, it could be seen that this Hell which he travels through is his own exile, and to return home by reaching "Heaven," he must complete his travel through Hell. Assuming such an interpretation to be true, Dante considers his exile to be justified, if not just. To be "admitted" into Hell, one must truly be an evil person, so while Dante would not normally be allowed in, according to Virgil, his status of "damnation" from his life allows him at least to experience Hell in his own way. This creates the unique perspective that Dante shows us in his travels.
The time in which Alighieri lived was the time of Papal corruption. Indulgences saved one's soul from the wrath of God, favors for the Pope earned positions in government and the church. These circumstances appear in Inferno as those that suffer in Hell. Dante uses such events in the real world to insert his political commentary and take shots at the corruption he sees in the church. These views were widely accepted, as many people took advantage of papal "indulgences" to rid themselves of sin. So when Dante uses those events as reason for damnation, his readership would certainly be even more interested in reading Inferno as a piece of controversial literature. Combining his subtle commentary of the Church and the allegory of his own life, Dante has shown us his own personal Hell which, at some point or another, everyone seems to feel. The perspective given to the reader, along with old fashioned good writing has made Dante's literature a captivating piece for centuries.