From c. 1100 until c. 1170, Latin prosimetrical texts characterized by dialogue, allegory, and philosophical speculation enjoyed a notable popularity within the cultural ambit of the French cathedral schools. Inspired by Boethius’ 'Consolation of Philosophy', the prosimetrum writers applied his literary techniques to the ethical and anthropological concerns of their own era, producing texts of great artistry in the process. This book investigates the rise of the Boethian impulse in Latin, the innovations of the twelfth-century writers, the difficulties that arose when they attempted to recapture the certainty that characterized the 'Consolation', and the survival of aspects of this literary mode in later Latin and vernacular literature.
Author(s): Bridget K. Balint
Series: Medieval and Renaissance Authors and Texts, 3
Publisher: Brill
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 252
City: Leiden
Preface ix
Introduction. The Writing of Prosimetrum in the Middle Ages 1
Chapter One. The Authority of the Consolation 13
Chapter Two. The Interlocutors 43
Chapter Three. Situating the Self 77
Chapter Four. Truth and Instability in the Prosimetra 107
Chapter Five. Fabulous Philosophizing after 1170 137
Appendix I. Prose and Poetry in the Prosimetra 169
Appendix II. Hildebert of Lavardin, 'The Complaint and Quarrel of the Body and the Soul' 174
Appendix III. Lawrence of Durham, 'Consolation on the Death of a Friend' 191
Bibliography 225
Index 237
