ENGL 90124 - Boethius¿s De Consolatione Philosophiae: Construction and Deconstruction

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

Boethius¿s De Consolatione Philosophiae is perhaps one of the few texts of late antiquity that can truly be said to have equal importance for philosophical and literary studies. Boethius here presented a compelling digest of late ancient philosophy in general and especially of the harmony of Platonism and Aristotelianism. In so doing, he explored a variety of literary genres and topics in both prose and verse. Perhaps most remarkably, he produced a document that is ambiguous enough to have stimulated and to continue to stimulate a variety of creative readings. The aims of this course are threefold: 1) to introduce the work as a philosophical and literary artifact within its historical context and initiate the study of its sources and influences; 2) to test to destruction the limits of the hermeneutic flexibility that it seems to invite; and 3) to examine the epistemological and methodological issues raised by the tension between aims 1 and 2. The course is designed for students both with and without a mastery of Latin. Requirements: one final essay of about twenty pages (chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor) either on Boethius himself or on the repercussions of his thought in later philosophy and literature.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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