The Consolation of Philosophy

by Boethius, P. G. Walsh

Overview

An eminent public figure under the Gothic emperor Theodoric, Boethius was also an exceptional Greek scholar, and it was to the Greek philosophers that he turned when he fell from favor and was imprisoned in Pavia. Written in the period leading up to his brutal execution, The Consolation of Philosophy is a dialogue of alternating prose and verse between the ailing prisoner and his "nurse," Philosophy, whose instruction on the nature of fortune and happiness, good and evil, fate and free will, restore his health and bring him to enlightenment.

The clarity of Boethius's thought and his breadth of vision made this work hugely popular throughout medieval Europe, and his ideas suffused the thought of Chaucer and Dante. This translation makes it accessible to the modern reader while losing nothing of Boethius's poetic artistry and philosophical brilliance.

Boethius (c. a.d. 475-525) was consul in 510 and a trusted political adviser to Theodoric, the Ostrogoth. He was later imprisoned and executed at Ravenna.
Victor Watts is Master of Grey College, England, and part-time Senior Lecturer in the School of English and Linguistics at Durham University, England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199540549
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2008
Series:	Oxford World's Classics Series
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Anicius Boethius (477–524) was a Roman philosopher who lived during the 5th and 6th centuries. Born into a family of politicians, Boethius was educated in Greek and had a love for literature and philosophy. He is often cited as an accomplished orator, senator and consul. Despite his years in public service, Boethius was accused of treason and eventually imprisoned. During confinement, he wrote his most notable work, The Consolation of Philosophy, which was completed before his execution in 524.

Table of Contents

	Preface	viii
	Introduction	xi
I	Introductory	xi
II	Boethius' Life and Writings	xiii
III	The Consolation of Philosophy	xxii
IV	The Christianity of Boethius	xxxii
V	The Text	xxxv
Book I3
Book II22
Book III47
Book IV85
Book V116
	Bibliography	139
	Glossary	143

What People are Saying About This

A remarkable translation of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature.

Henry Taylor

This is a sensitive and readable translation, whose poetic merits place it beyond other translations of Boethius's great text.

Gail Holst-Warhaft

A remarkable translation of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature.
— Gail Holst-Warhaft, Cornell University