Fifteen Eighty Four

Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy was one of the most widely read and influential texts in medieval Europe. Its influence can be clearly seen in philosophical works as diverse as Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica and Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies. Likewise, it exerted a huge influence on medieval literature.

Boethius wrote the Consolation around 523 AD, while in prison. He had served in a number of influential positions in the government of Theodoric the Great. As revealed in Book 1 of the Consolation, however, Boethius’ political adversaries leveled accusations of treason and sacrilege against him. These accusations led to his imprisonment and eventual execution.

Drawing inspiration from Plato, Boethius wrote the Consolation as a philosophical dialogue. Yet unlike in a Platonic dialogue, Boethius cast himself as the protagonist, engaging with Lady Philosophy herself. As the dialogue begins, Boethius is lamenting his fate. Lady Philosophy then appears to him and begins the long process of assuaging his spiritual distress. She employs poetry, rhetoric, and rigorous philosophical argumentation in order to treat his condition. Their discourse develops into a discussion of topics such as the vicissitudes of fortune, what it is to be human, and the nature of true happiness, divine providence, and human free will.

Despite the popularity of the Consolation, it has been largely neglected in contemporary scholarship on medieval philosophy. This seems to be due primarily to unique aspects of its content and literary form. The Consolation is not only written as a dialogue, but also alternates between sections of prose and sections of poetry. Likewise, it makes frequent reference to classical literature and mythology. In these ways it stands in sharp contrast to works like those of Thomas Aquinas, al-Ghazali, or Moses Maimonides, on which scholars of medieval philosophy tend to focus.

Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy: A Critical Guide seeks to help address this lacuna in the secondary literature. It brings together thirteen original essays on the Consolation by a diverse array of scholars and is the first collection of philosophical essays devoted exclusively to the Consolation. Three chapters explore the Consolation’s literary features: the relationship between its prose and poetry sections, its dialogue form, and its use of personification. Two other chapters focus on the relationship between the Consolation and Boethius’ Christianity, an issue that has become a matter of significant controversy over the past 80 years. Another three chapters offer various perspectives on the Consolation’s philosophy of selfhood or philosophical anthropology, a theme central to the work. Five other chapters delve into the standard metaphysical and theological themes of the Consolation, such as time, eternity, and the nature of God’s being, goodness, and foreknowledge.

This Critical Guide demonstrates the ongoing vitality of the Consolation and breaks open its riches for a new generation of readers. The essays reflect the diversity of approaches taken in contemporary scholarship on the Consolation and attend to both the text’s literary features and philosophical content. The result is a collection of essays that will prove invaluable for scholars of medieval philosophy, medieval literature, and the history of ideas.