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68. The Consolation of Philosophy.
“Now I know,” she said, “that other, more serious cause of your sickness: you
have forgotten what you are. So I really understand why you are ill and how to
cure you. For because you are wandering, forgetful of your true self, you
grieve that you are an exile and stripped of your goods; since indeed you do
not know the goal and end of all things, you think that evil and wicked men
are fortunate and powerful; since indeed you have forgotten what sort of
governance the world is guided by, you think these fluctuations of fortune
uncontrolled. All these are quite enough to cause not merely sickness but even
death. But I thank the author of all health that you have not yet wholly lost
your true nature.”
The Consolation of Philosophy by the sixth-century Roman author Boethius
has a little of everything: poetry and prose, autobiography and philosophy;
bright and lively writing and… maybe some boring bits, especially in the last
two sections. But it was written by a man who found himself thrown in jail and
condemned to death; who can blame him for trying to use philosophy—or, a
dialogue with the personification of Philosophy herself—to make sense of his
life? Chris and Suzanne discuss how this complex poem intersects with a lot of
other literary works, and argue about the uneasy marriage of philosophy and
poetry.
Show Notes.
Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy.
[Bookshop.]
Our episodes on The Symposium,
Augustine’s Confessions, The Book of
the City of Ladies,
Paradiso, and The Autobiography of
Malcolm X.
The Wikipedia page for The Consolation of
Philosophy
has a nice medieval depiction of Fortune’s
wheel.
Rainer Maria Rilke: Archaic Torso of Apollo. (The original German
text. See also
Mark Doty talking about this poem.)
Next: Isidore of Seville: The Etymologies.
[Bookshop.]
Support The Spouter-Inn and our network on
Patreon — it helps us make the show, and it
gives you access to our friendly Discord!
View all episodes
By Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Chris Piuma
4.8
3030 ratings
“Now I know,” she said, “that other, more serious cause of your sickness: you
have forgotten what you are. So I really understand why you are ill and how to
cure you. For because you are wandering, forgetful of your true self, you
grieve that you are an exile and stripped of your goods; since indeed you do
not know the goal and end of all things, you think that evil and wicked men
are fortunate and powerful; since indeed you have forgotten what sort of
governance the world is guided by, you think these fluctuations of fortune
uncontrolled. All these are quite enough to cause not merely sickness but even
death. But I thank the author of all health that you have not yet wholly lost
your true nature.”
The Consolation of Philosophy by the sixth-century Roman author Boethius
has a little of everything: poetry and prose, autobiography and philosophy;
bright and lively writing and… maybe some boring bits, especially in the last
two sections. But it was written by a man who found himself thrown in jail and
condemned to death; who can blame him for trying to use philosophy—or, a
dialogue with the personification of Philosophy herself—to make sense of his
life? Chris and Suzanne discuss how this complex poem intersects with a lot of
other literary works, and argue about the uneasy marriage of philosophy and
poetry.
Show Notes.
Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy.
[Bookshop.]
Our episodes on The Symposium,
Augustine’s Confessions, The Book of
the City of Ladies,
Paradiso, and The Autobiography of
Malcolm X.
The Wikipedia page for The Consolation of
Philosophy
has a nice medieval depiction of Fortune’s
wheel.
Rainer Maria Rilke: Archaic Torso of Apollo. (The original German
text. See also
Mark Doty talking about this poem.)
Next: Isidore of Seville: The Etymologies.
[Bookshop.]
Support The Spouter-Inn and our network on
Patreon — it helps us make the show, and it
gives you access to our friendly Discord!
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