Description
Book SynopsisIn 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
Trade ReviewDonato presents Boethius’s well-known
Consolation of Philosophy in a strikingly new way, by stressing its author’s consciousness of himself as a Roman aristocrat, with very specific values and obligations. This thesis is developed into a reinterpretation of how Philosophy consoles, and how Boethius conveys his message through poetry and images as well as argument. -- Professor John Marenbon, Trinity College, Cambridge, UK
Antonio Donato's trenchant analysis of Boethius'
Consolation of Philosophy as a "product" of Late Antiquity includes fresh and important insights which aid in resolving many of the traditional exegetical difficulties readers have had with this text. Historians, philosophers, and theologians will surely profit from this new reading of Boethius -- William E. Carroll, University of Oxford, UK
This is an important book. With it—and in the company of his three substantial and near-contemporary articles on Consolation, modestly unrecorded in his bibliography—Donato emerges as a new and powerful voice in Boethian studies. -- Joel C. Relihan, Wheaton College, USA * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 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
