It's true that relatively few of us make it through to Paradiso.

As a longtime Dante fan, when I've had the opportunity to host Blawg Review, the carnival of legal blogging, I drew my themes from the Comedy. The first two were based on Inferno and Purgatorio; the third, published recently, was based on Paradiso. In preparing that most recent Blawg Review, I found that my memory of Paradiso was pretty hazy and I took the opportunity to reread it for the first time in several years.

It struck me how different modern readers are from Dante's contemporary intended audience. Whereas we're looking for entertainment or intellectual stimulation, he wrote these works not to entertain but to enlighten. Dante meant these works as serious testaments rather than as fictional poetry.

Hell has become more fascinating for us for the reasons you've outlined. Our culture has made us less literal-minded, particularly where spiritual matters are concerned. Without a strong interest in Catholic spirituality or in Dante's poetry, there's simply not as much to capture a modern reader's attention in Paradiso. For non-Catholics in particular, it's far easier for us to (superficially) contemplate our own behaviors and what clever punishments might await us in Hell than to relate to the saved souls who reside in the spheres of Dante's Heaven.

To modern sensibilities, viewing these works as works of literature rather than religious works, things just get less interesting the higher you go.