The Consolation of Philosophy

by Boethius, P. G. Walsh

Overview

An eminent public figure under the Gothic emperor Theodoric, Boethius (c. AD 475-525) was also an exceptional Greek scholar and it was to the Greek philosophers that he turned when he fell from favour and was imprisoned in Pavia. Written in the period leading up to his brutal execution, it 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, restores his health and brings him to enlightenment.

The clarity of Boethius's thought and his breadth of vision made The Consolation of Philosophy 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.

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

Joel C. Relihan is Professor of Classics, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts.

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

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent introduction and overview of this important thinker's thought and legacy."-Calvin Theological Journal

From the Publisher

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

Gail Holst-Warhaft

This is a beautifully made little book that I have taken with me on a number of trips, partly just for the pleasure of holding it. At any time I would be glad to have it.

Books and Culture - John Wilson

It's a remarkable book (though a short one), and its latest edition, rendered into fluid, compellingly immediate English by veteran translator David R. Slavitt, is very markedly the best one it's ever had...Slavitt presents the reader with Boethius brought to vibrant, vigorous life, to a degree that makes all previous English versions seem pedantic and irrelevant. Harvard University Press has crafted a physically beautiful volume, sturdy and small enough to fit in your pocket—an extremely fitting format for a book that's meant to be a comfort against life's ills. Reading this edition, even readers who've never encountered Boethius before will see at once why his book has meant so much to so many people for the last 1,500 years.

openlettersmonthly.com - Steve Donoghue

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

Henry Taylor

This is a beautifully made little book that I have taken with me on a number of trips, partly just for the pleasure of holding it. At any time I would be glad to have it.
— John Wilson

Books and Culture

It's a remarkable book (though a short one), and its latest edition, rendered into fluid, compellingly immediate English by veteran translator David R. Slavitt, is very markedly the best one it's ever had...Slavitt presents the reader with Boethius brought to vibrant, vigorous life, to a degree that makes all previous English versions seem pedantic and irrelevant. Harvard University Press has crafted a physically beautiful volume, sturdy and small enough to fit in your pocket—an extremely fitting format for a book that's meant to be a comfort against life's ills. Reading this edition, even readers who've never encountered Boethius before will see at once why his book has meant so much to so many people for the last 1,500 years.
— Steve Donoghue

openlettersmonthly.com