UID:
edocfu_9961047081402883
Format:
1 online resource (230 p.)
ISBN:
1-4725-5561-9
,
1-4725-0222-1
Content:
"In the last fifty years the field of Late Antiquity has advanced significantly. Today we have a picture of this period that is more precise and accurate than before. However, the study of one of the most significant texts of this age, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, has not benefited enough from these advances in scholarship. Antonio Donato aims to fill this gap by investigating how the study of the Consolation can profit from the knowledge of Boethius' cultural, political and social background that is available today. The book focuses on three topics: Boethius' social/political background, his notion of philosophy and its sources, and his understanding of the relation between Christianity and classical culture. These topics deal with issues that are of crucial importance for the exegesis of the Consolation. The study of Boethius' social/political background allows us to gain a better understanding of the identity of the character Boethius and to recognize his role in the Consolation. Examination of the possible sources of Boethius' notion of philosophy and of their influence on the Consolation offers valuable instruments to evaluate the role of the text's philosophical discussions and their relation to its literary features. Finally, the long-standing problem of the lack of overt Christian elements in the Consolation can be enlightened by considering how Boethius relies on a peculiar understanding of philosophy's goal and its relation to Christianity that was common among some of his predecessors and contemporaries."--Bloomsbury Publishing
Content:
In the last fifty years the field of Late Antiquity has advanced significantly. Today we have a picture of this period that is more precise and accurate than before. However, the study of one of the most significant texts of this age, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, has not benefited enough from these advances in scholarship. Antonio Donato aims to fill this gap by investigating how the study of the Consolation can profit from the knowledge of Boethius' cultural, political and social background that is available today. The book focuses on three topics: Boethius' social/political background, his notion of philosophy and its sources, and his understanding of the relation between Christianity and classical culture. These topics deal with issues that are of crucial importance for the exegesis of the Consolation. The study of Boethius' social/political background allows us to gain a better understanding of the identity of the character Boethius and to recognize his role in the Consolation. Examination of the possible sources of Boethius' notion of philosophy and of their influence on the Consolation offers valuable instruments to evaluate the role of the text's philosophical discussions and their relation to its literary features. Finally, the long-standing problem of the lack of overt Christian elements in the Consolation can be enlightened by considering how Boethius relies on a peculiar understanding of philosophy's goal and its relation to Christianity that was common among some of his predecessors and contemporaries
Note:
Cover title
,
Introduction -- 1 Boethius and the Ideology of the Roman Senatorial Aristocracy -- The Ideology of the Roman Senatorial Aristocracy I: Education and -- Literary Pursuits -- The Ideology of the Roman Senatorial Aristocracy II: Wealth, Nobility, -- Political Prominence and Morality -- Boethius' Family Heritage: the Anicii and the Symmachi -- The Philosopher in Politics -- Consolation I.4 and the Ideology of the Roman Senatorial Aristocracy -- Philosophy and External Goods -- The Possession of Wealth -- Power and Dignitas -- The Vanity of Glory -- Conclusion -- 2 The Illness and the Healer -- Vita Activa and Vita Contemplativa in the Ideal Philosopher -- Boethius' Illness: Forgetfulness -- Philosophy, a Peculiar Character -- The Appearance of Philosophy -- Living as a Philosopher -- Philosophy, a 'Dialectical' Doctor -- Philosophy's Therapy and its Methods -- The 'Philosophical' Therapy -- Conclusion -- 3 How does Philosophy Convey her Therapy? -- Poetry and Rhetoric as Instruments of Philosophy's Therapy -- Poetry and the Consolation -- The Poetics of the Consolation -- Poetry, Music and Therapy: the Consolation's Sources -- The Source of Music's Therapeutic Power: the Consolation's Sources -- Music and Therapy in Boethius' De Musica -- The Poems of the Consolation -- Poetry Quotations in the Consolation -- Rhetoric and the Consolation -- The Use of Exemplum -- The Use of Myths -- The Use of Personi- cations -- Conclusion -- -- 4 Christianity and the Consolation -- Christianity and Classical Culture in Boethius' Circles -- Christianity and Philosophia -- Philosophy and Wisdom in Boethius' Works -- Philosophy and Wisdom in the Consolation -- Conclusion -- Concluding Remarks -- Bibliography -- Index
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Also issued in print
,
English
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-4742-2857-7
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-78093-462-9
Language:
English
DOI:
10.5040/9781472555618
