A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain, 274 pgs.
This novel tells the story of Hank Morgan, a 19th century engineer from Hartford, Connecticut who through a strange turn of events finds himself in the 66h century England of King Arthur. He is almost immediately captured by a knight upon his arrival in the 6th century and taken to Camelot where he learns he is to be executed in a couple days time. Using his superior modern wit to escape the situation, hank sets out on a grand process of introducing 19th century technology, know-how, education, and values to Arthur’s realm.
The novel is filled with many humorous moments as is apt with other fiction from Twain but there is also a distinct dark side to the story that becomes ever more apparent. The impact of the past with the present (at least at the time of writing) results in the dismantling of the romantic view of the past while simultaneously reveals the faults in the belief of scientific and social progress. The England of Arthur is depicted as one where the people, although not generally subjected to the institution of slavery, are for all purposes the equivalent of slaves. The ‘freemen’ of the day have no rights whatsoever and are subject to the whims of a nobility whose only entitlement to rule is blueness of their blood. The Church is similarly depicted as repressing force against the mass of humanity. The protagonist Hank struggles endlessly to awaken in the people a sense of social justice and outrage at being treated as dirt by their noble lords. He is constantly frustrated in his attempts though and concludes that the level of indoctrination is so deep in the people that only large structural changes and the rise of a new generation will provide the seeds for a revolution to overturn the existing order.
Hank Methodically sets out to accomplish just such a revolution by starting clandestine centers of education and industry, all the while keeping an eye on the Church so as not to have his program disrupted. With the introduction of modern technology and education, ‘progress’ moves along at a steady pace. But with all the advances to society also comes the capacity to disrupt and destroy as much if not more. In seeking to replace the controlling ideology of the Church, Hank inadvertently sets up a rival ideology that demands the complete submission of the people as well.
Twain’s criticisms of the 19th century become all the more apparent when applied against the backdrop of an age unrecognizable to ours. It is rather amazing that the problems he confronts, free market capitalism, mechanization of war, political ideologies, confidence in a historical progression towards a better society, would all come to the fore in the 20th century as pressing questions confronting a world with the ever growing capacity to destroy itself. The novel stays true to Twain’s pessimism concerning his day and the ‘damned human race’ ends with a truly terrifying scene. All good novels have to concern themselves with themes that go deeper than the mere story that they tell. Twain certainly does not disappoint with this effort.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Antic Hay – Aldous Huxley
Antic Hay – Aldous Huxley
I have to say I enjoyed this novel, as I have almost all of Huxley’s other writings, for the light it shines on a particular segment of society in an interesting if confused time. Huxley employ’s his characteristic wit and satirical prose in telling the tale of a mixed group of Londoners in the 1920’s, all seeking to make sense of a life, and perhaps more importantly to derive pleasure from it, that has lost it’s focus somewhere along the way. The protagonists range from pedants, academics, failed artists, journalists, scientists, and the idle rich and the just plain idle. Their interactions with one another form the loose framework of the story, although it seems really to be about each person’s individual pursuit of their own particular pleasure. I say it seems to be about this because it is hard to put your finger on a single theme.
Some will have trouble with this novel as it lacks a serious plot device or any culmination of the story in a climax. It certainly does not fall into the same category as some of Huxley’s more famous fictional works such as Brave New World or Island. Those who care to give it a chance though may be delighted by what they do find, namely a snapshot into the life and society of the pseudo-aristocratic circle in the inter war period in Britain. The time was one of change in society; a break from the past was clearly in the midst of happening, but no one was sure where is was leading, if anywhere. In this sense the novel and the characters really capture the essence of the time with their apparent frivolity and absence of direction. It is still a very readable novel, although at some points it is clear that the amount time that has passed since its publication in the 1920’s has left become too large a gap to overcome. Although Huxley is a greater writer and many of his works have stood the test of time, Antic Hay is not one of them.
Still the novel is packed full of humorous moments, for example Theodore’s giddy glee at the prospect of joining the ranks of the capitalist with his bound-to-be-fantastic new invention: pneumatic trousers, and does good job capturing the spirit of the age, however confused that spirit may be. Huxley’s command of the English language, as well as French and Latin, and his overall intelligence offer rewards to the reader outside the story itself. For those who appreciate a master performing his craft, Antic Hay will be a delight.
I have to say I enjoyed this novel, as I have almost all of Huxley’s other writings, for the light it shines on a particular segment of society in an interesting if confused time. Huxley employ’s his characteristic wit and satirical prose in telling the tale of a mixed group of Londoners in the 1920’s, all seeking to make sense of a life, and perhaps more importantly to derive pleasure from it, that has lost it’s focus somewhere along the way. The protagonists range from pedants, academics, failed artists, journalists, scientists, and the idle rich and the just plain idle. Their interactions with one another form the loose framework of the story, although it seems really to be about each person’s individual pursuit of their own particular pleasure. I say it seems to be about this because it is hard to put your finger on a single theme.
Some will have trouble with this novel as it lacks a serious plot device or any culmination of the story in a climax. It certainly does not fall into the same category as some of Huxley’s more famous fictional works such as Brave New World or Island. Those who care to give it a chance though may be delighted by what they do find, namely a snapshot into the life and society of the pseudo-aristocratic circle in the inter war period in Britain. The time was one of change in society; a break from the past was clearly in the midst of happening, but no one was sure where is was leading, if anywhere. In this sense the novel and the characters really capture the essence of the time with their apparent frivolity and absence of direction. It is still a very readable novel, although at some points it is clear that the amount time that has passed since its publication in the 1920’s has left become too large a gap to overcome. Although Huxley is a greater writer and many of his works have stood the test of time, Antic Hay is not one of them.
Still the novel is packed full of humorous moments, for example Theodore’s giddy glee at the prospect of joining the ranks of the capitalist with his bound-to-be-fantastic new invention: pneumatic trousers, and does good job capturing the spirit of the age, however confused that spirit may be. Huxley’s command of the English language, as well as French and Latin, and his overall intelligence offer rewards to the reader outside the story itself. For those who appreciate a master performing his craft, Antic Hay will be a delight.
Aldous Huxley – The Devils of Loudun – p.315
Aldous Huxley – The Devils of Loudun – p.315
It is the early 17th century in Loudun, France. The local parish priest, Urbain Grandier, has become embattled in various local rivalries with civic magnates and ecclesiastical officials. He makes powerful enemies among them but they are helpless to action against for the moment. Both sides are determined to see victory and religious sanctity takes a back seat to revenge and personal gain. Against this backdrop an altogether remarkable occurrence takes place; the inhabitants of the local covenant experience an extraordinary case of mass possession by demons. The head of the covenant, Sœur Jeanne des Anges, experiences the worst of the possessions and under an exorcism conducted by Jean-Joseph Surin she, or the demon within her, places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Urbain Grandier. The moment his enemies have waited for has arrived.
For those who are fans of Huxley’s fictional and non-fictional works this book is not one to be missed. Although it falls into the category of non-fiction as it tells the story of a historical event in 17th century France, Huxley uses his creative powers and imagination to make the tale come alive. Granted historians may have an issue with taking such liberties in writing about a historical event, but Huxley’s goal is not ‘pure’ history, a pretty questionable term in itself, but rather to tell the story of a remarkable event with all the drama and suspense that it deserves.
His account of the mass possession in Loudun is backed up by an admirable amount of research. It is clear that Huxley’s knowledge of both the time and place extend far beyond the details of the story and serve to enlighten his account. His understanding of human psychology as plays a prominent role in this book. It goes beyond a simple recounting of historical events, which as interesting as they are does not in itself make the book a unique one. It is Huxley’s continual fascination with the human mind that really makes this book special. After setting out the basic historical framework for the story, he attempts to reconstruct the psychological factors that played a large role there. After examining the individual characters from the Loudun saga, Huxley takes the time to reflect and draw conclusions about humanity in general and what drives people to believe themselves possessed and the further implications this has.
Whether one agrees with the validity of conducting a sort of psychological analysis of historical figures hundreds of years removed from us and then in turn using those conclusions to draw wider ones about humanity or a time period in general, this book is an immensely interesting read.
It is the early 17th century in Loudun, France. The local parish priest, Urbain Grandier, has become embattled in various local rivalries with civic magnates and ecclesiastical officials. He makes powerful enemies among them but they are helpless to action against for the moment. Both sides are determined to see victory and religious sanctity takes a back seat to revenge and personal gain. Against this backdrop an altogether remarkable occurrence takes place; the inhabitants of the local covenant experience an extraordinary case of mass possession by demons. The head of the covenant, Sœur Jeanne des Anges, experiences the worst of the possessions and under an exorcism conducted by Jean-Joseph Surin she, or the demon within her, places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Urbain Grandier. The moment his enemies have waited for has arrived.
For those who are fans of Huxley’s fictional and non-fictional works this book is not one to be missed. Although it falls into the category of non-fiction as it tells the story of a historical event in 17th century France, Huxley uses his creative powers and imagination to make the tale come alive. Granted historians may have an issue with taking such liberties in writing about a historical event, but Huxley’s goal is not ‘pure’ history, a pretty questionable term in itself, but rather to tell the story of a remarkable event with all the drama and suspense that it deserves.
His account of the mass possession in Loudun is backed up by an admirable amount of research. It is clear that Huxley’s knowledge of both the time and place extend far beyond the details of the story and serve to enlighten his account. His understanding of human psychology as plays a prominent role in this book. It goes beyond a simple recounting of historical events, which as interesting as they are does not in itself make the book a unique one. It is Huxley’s continual fascination with the human mind that really makes this book special. After setting out the basic historical framework for the story, he attempts to reconstruct the psychological factors that played a large role there. After examining the individual characters from the Loudun saga, Huxley takes the time to reflect and draw conclusions about humanity in general and what drives people to believe themselves possessed and the further implications this has.
Whether one agrees with the validity of conducting a sort of psychological analysis of historical figures hundreds of years removed from us and then in turn using those conclusions to draw wider ones about humanity or a time period in general, this book is an immensely interesting read.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
An American Dream – Norman Mailer
An American Dream – Norman Mailer p.238
Mailer’s ‘classic’ story of a supposedly all-American life gone astray is at times very good, but all too often it doesn’t reach the heights that it is aiming for. The concept of the American Dream is something that has loomed large in popular culture both in the US and in the exported version of that culture abroad. Many authors and artists have attempted to explore and seek out the essence of this rather ambiguous concept (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). More often than not they have not really known where to look and have come to the conclusion that the American Dream is dead or at least decaying. This view is central to Mailer’s own investigation into the Dream. In this book he attempts to convey a broader picture of society through the fall from grace and respectability of a middle-aged successful former Congressman.
Certainly the downfall of one man’s life from seeming respectability and contentment into upheaval, the underworld and the margins of his former society can be seen as a metaphor for an American generation in general or even the entire society. The fixation on suicide throughout the book seems almost a forced symbolic element when taken as part of the surface or primary story; it definitely makes more sense when applied to the death of the American dream as a whole. That Mailer sees US society standing on the ledge of building and alternating between the impulse to jump and self-preservation I think is a rather accurate assessment of the times he was writing about. The problem is that the effort to tie this into the story of the individual is too obvious or unnatural for lack of a better term.
Mailer set his goal high in writing this book, but for this kind of work the parallel meanings have to both be obvious, be able to stand independent of each other, and most importantly, naturally intertwine with each other. The failure to do so results in something that might have been great and yet clearly is not. All that being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part and would recommend it as a decent story and summation of a challenging time in the history of US society. One certainly cannot fault Mailer for the attempt.
Mailer’s ‘classic’ story of a supposedly all-American life gone astray is at times very good, but all too often it doesn’t reach the heights that it is aiming for. The concept of the American Dream is something that has loomed large in popular culture both in the US and in the exported version of that culture abroad. Many authors and artists have attempted to explore and seek out the essence of this rather ambiguous concept (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). More often than not they have not really known where to look and have come to the conclusion that the American Dream is dead or at least decaying. This view is central to Mailer’s own investigation into the Dream. In this book he attempts to convey a broader picture of society through the fall from grace and respectability of a middle-aged successful former Congressman.
Certainly the downfall of one man’s life from seeming respectability and contentment into upheaval, the underworld and the margins of his former society can be seen as a metaphor for an American generation in general or even the entire society. The fixation on suicide throughout the book seems almost a forced symbolic element when taken as part of the surface or primary story; it definitely makes more sense when applied to the death of the American dream as a whole. That Mailer sees US society standing on the ledge of building and alternating between the impulse to jump and self-preservation I think is a rather accurate assessment of the times he was writing about. The problem is that the effort to tie this into the story of the individual is too obvious or unnatural for lack of a better term.
Mailer set his goal high in writing this book, but for this kind of work the parallel meanings have to both be obvious, be able to stand independent of each other, and most importantly, naturally intertwine with each other. The failure to do so results in something that might have been great and yet clearly is not. All that being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part and would recommend it as a decent story and summation of a challenging time in the history of US society. One certainly cannot fault Mailer for the attempt.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Soft Machine – William Burroughs p.132
The Soft Machine – William Burroughs p.132
The Soft Machine is Burroughs’s definitive work of cut-up and experimental writing. Most of the elements of the book are taken from the same period of writing that produced his first success Naked Lunch and are in many ways a natural continuation of that work. Many familiar characters pop up in The Soft Machine and many of the same themes of homosexuality, drug addiction, death, murder and corruption appear throughout. That being said, The Soft Machine is in many ways different from Naked Lunch. The most apparent is the total abandonment of any semblance to a coherent storyline. I will call this the cut-up style in the macro approach. There is a micro side of it as well. In almost every sentence Burroughs applies the technique to combine words and phrases that at first glance have no apparent connection or meaning together. The result is an interesting, if a bit tiring form of literary art.
I started reading this book directly after I finished Naked Lunch and was a bit let down by it at first. I was looking for something that had a bit more meaning taken as a whole and The Soft Machine just isn’t that kind of book. It was only after I realized this that I began to appreciate it for what it was: a conscious attempt to create a new literary form and actively use words to illustrate the patterns of society and life that we are too familiar and dependent upon. Addiction is a dominant theme in Burroughs’s work and it normally manifests itself in the form of dope, but I think he uses his unique style to illuminate the other pervasive forms of addiction that he saw saturating society. Addiction is essentially concerned with control, the control of a substance over the actions and choices of an individual. For Burroughs a mode of though or way of life could be just as easily substituted for a substance as long as it met the conditions of addiction.
The Soft Machine is an essential work and in many ways definitive in Burroughs assault against all the agents of control in our societies. Through a destruction of past literary forms and the resulting reconstruction into something utterly different he hoped to show not a solution to the problems confronting us, but rather to show us all how widespread and engrained the current system is.
The Soft Machine is Burroughs’s definitive work of cut-up and experimental writing. Most of the elements of the book are taken from the same period of writing that produced his first success Naked Lunch and are in many ways a natural continuation of that work. Many familiar characters pop up in The Soft Machine and many of the same themes of homosexuality, drug addiction, death, murder and corruption appear throughout. That being said, The Soft Machine is in many ways different from Naked Lunch. The most apparent is the total abandonment of any semblance to a coherent storyline. I will call this the cut-up style in the macro approach. There is a micro side of it as well. In almost every sentence Burroughs applies the technique to combine words and phrases that at first glance have no apparent connection or meaning together. The result is an interesting, if a bit tiring form of literary art.
I started reading this book directly after I finished Naked Lunch and was a bit let down by it at first. I was looking for something that had a bit more meaning taken as a whole and The Soft Machine just isn’t that kind of book. It was only after I realized this that I began to appreciate it for what it was: a conscious attempt to create a new literary form and actively use words to illustrate the patterns of society and life that we are too familiar and dependent upon. Addiction is a dominant theme in Burroughs’s work and it normally manifests itself in the form of dope, but I think he uses his unique style to illuminate the other pervasive forms of addiction that he saw saturating society. Addiction is essentially concerned with control, the control of a substance over the actions and choices of an individual. For Burroughs a mode of though or way of life could be just as easily substituted for a substance as long as it met the conditions of addiction.
The Soft Machine is an essential work and in many ways definitive in Burroughs assault against all the agents of control in our societies. Through a destruction of past literary forms and the resulting reconstruction into something utterly different he hoped to show not a solution to the problems confronting us, but rather to show us all how widespread and engrained the current system is.
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Doors of Perception & Heaven and Hell
The Doors of Perception – Aldous Huxley
This book is written in the form of an essay and recounts the experiences of the author after taking mescalin for the first time. It is a fairly short read, about 80 pages, but the philosophical reflections require time to fully grasp. Huxley volunteers to be the guinea pig in a controlled experiment to observe the effects of mescalin. The resulting experience gave cause for Huxley to reflect deeply on the nature of reality and how humans shape this reality through perception. What is perceived in one state of consciousness as real can indeed become something altogether different in another. Huxley explores this intertwined relationship and places it in a larger historical context recalling the works and deeds of the visionaries and mystics of the past.
This work is a must for anyone interested in boundless possibilities that arise from hallucinogenic substances. The fact that Huxley is a very intelligent scholar as well as a gifted writer allow him to tackle a difficult subject and tell it in words that lend themselves to the initiated. Those interested in the remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness would do well to read this.
*Side note: The band the Doors took their name from the book. The title of the book actually refers to a line in the poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, written by William Blake in 1793. “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”
Heaven and Hell – Aldous Huxley
Another rather short essay (about 100 p.) from Huxley in the vain of The Doors of Perception. In it Huxley takes on the fast unknowns of Mind at Large, examining the basic properties and functions of visionary experience. This essay is basically a philosophical discourse on the possibilities that exist for visionary experience. The contrast between the positive and negative experience are characterized in the contrasting realms of Heaven and Hell. What makes this an incredibly interesting read is that all arguments made are based on plausible grounds and quite often on scientifically sound grounds. Although written over a half century ago, this work has proved a classic that stands out in a field that is still insufficiently investigated. Together with The Doors of Perception, Heaven and Hell shows that Huxley is as much a force in the world of nonfiction thought as he is in fiction. Read what this man has to say and think about it. There is a lot there to digest.
This book is written in the form of an essay and recounts the experiences of the author after taking mescalin for the first time. It is a fairly short read, about 80 pages, but the philosophical reflections require time to fully grasp. Huxley volunteers to be the guinea pig in a controlled experiment to observe the effects of mescalin. The resulting experience gave cause for Huxley to reflect deeply on the nature of reality and how humans shape this reality through perception. What is perceived in one state of consciousness as real can indeed become something altogether different in another. Huxley explores this intertwined relationship and places it in a larger historical context recalling the works and deeds of the visionaries and mystics of the past.
This work is a must for anyone interested in boundless possibilities that arise from hallucinogenic substances. The fact that Huxley is a very intelligent scholar as well as a gifted writer allow him to tackle a difficult subject and tell it in words that lend themselves to the initiated. Those interested in the remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness would do well to read this.
*Side note: The band the Doors took their name from the book. The title of the book actually refers to a line in the poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, written by William Blake in 1793. “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”
Heaven and Hell – Aldous Huxley
Another rather short essay (about 100 p.) from Huxley in the vain of The Doors of Perception. In it Huxley takes on the fast unknowns of Mind at Large, examining the basic properties and functions of visionary experience. This essay is basically a philosophical discourse on the possibilities that exist for visionary experience. The contrast between the positive and negative experience are characterized in the contrasting realms of Heaven and Hell. What makes this an incredibly interesting read is that all arguments made are based on plausible grounds and quite often on scientifically sound grounds. Although written over a half century ago, this work has proved a classic that stands out in a field that is still insufficiently investigated. Together with The Doors of Perception, Heaven and Hell shows that Huxley is as much a force in the world of nonfiction thought as he is in fiction. Read what this man has to say and think about it. There is a lot there to digest.
The Consolation of Philosophy
The Consolation of Philosophy – Boethius
The Consolation is a philosophical treatise written by Boethius (c. 480-524 A.D.) while awaiting his execution after being imprisoned by the Gothic emperor Theodoric. The first time I heard of Boethius and his most famous composition was, as so often is the case, when I was reading another work. The work in question is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O’Toole. The main character of O’Toole’s novel, one Ignatius J. Reilly, had based his entire life and worldview around the philosophy of Boethius and his assessment of Fortune. A great work in its own right, A Confederacy of Dunces left a lasting impression in my mind and, when by chance I came across a copy of the Consolation in the used bookstore (Boardwalk Books for all you Duluthians), I jumped at the opportunity to see for myself what Boethius had to say.
The work is composed of five books beginning with Boethius struggling to make sense of his imprisonment and pending execution. Confronted with a fate that is seemingly at odds with the virtue and faith with which he has conducted his life, Boethius is about to succumb to the sorrow that is filling his thoughts. Just then he notices the presence of a woman in his cell, the awe-inspiring Philosophy. She bemoans that Boethius, once such an avid student of hers, is now about to abandon all that he had previously gained. Thus begins a journey of reason and contemplation between the two until Boethius in the end finds the consolation that he had almost given up upon. Interspersed between the dialogues of Boethius and Philosophy are a number of poems that range in subject matter and content. More numerous at the beginning of the work, the poems often times serve as transitions between arguments or help to put difficult concepts into a clearer light. Thus a remarkable harmony is reached between prose and poetry that can be appreciated even in an English translation, a rare feat indeed. (For my reading I chose the V. E. Watts translation published by Penguin Classics).
It is perhaps significant to understand the time in which Boethius lived a bit better to gain a more accurate reading of his work. Living long after Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century A.D., it is widely accepted that Boethius was a Christian and believer of the tenants of the Catholic Church (at a time when the Gothic emperor Theodoric, also a Christian but belonging like all Goths to the heretical Arian sect that believed that the father and son were not of one substance). One must find it a bit peculiar than that at no point in Boethius’ text is Christianity mentioned in any overt context. To find a believer in his last days before death turning not to theology for comfort, as one might expect, but rather to philosophy has raised many questions about the nature of Boethius’ belief. But one only has to look to the title of the work to see that Boethius is choosing philosophy for the subject of his work and could very well indeed have thought theology a better consolation, although one that would be and should be treated in an altogether separate treatise. With this in mind, Boethius draws on the works of the great philosophers and thinkers of antiquity; Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, St. Augustine, the Stoics, and the Neo-Platonists. This feat being all the more remarkable because Boethius apparently relied on his own memory to produce the arguments and passages seeing as he had no access to any literary sources while imprisoned.
Boethius has rightly been called the last classical man. Indeed his thoughts and works can be seen as forming a bridge between the classical world and the Middle Ages. The Consolation influenced countless numbers of theologians throughout the Middle Ages and direct references are to be found in the works of masters such as Dante and Chaucer. His lonely contemplation of good and evil, fate and free will, fortune and the nature of happiness certainly still have an allure to inquisitive minds to this day.
The Consolation is a philosophical treatise written by Boethius (c. 480-524 A.D.) while awaiting his execution after being imprisoned by the Gothic emperor Theodoric. The first time I heard of Boethius and his most famous composition was, as so often is the case, when I was reading another work. The work in question is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O’Toole. The main character of O’Toole’s novel, one Ignatius J. Reilly, had based his entire life and worldview around the philosophy of Boethius and his assessment of Fortune. A great work in its own right, A Confederacy of Dunces left a lasting impression in my mind and, when by chance I came across a copy of the Consolation in the used bookstore (Boardwalk Books for all you Duluthians), I jumped at the opportunity to see for myself what Boethius had to say.
The work is composed of five books beginning with Boethius struggling to make sense of his imprisonment and pending execution. Confronted with a fate that is seemingly at odds with the virtue and faith with which he has conducted his life, Boethius is about to succumb to the sorrow that is filling his thoughts. Just then he notices the presence of a woman in his cell, the awe-inspiring Philosophy. She bemoans that Boethius, once such an avid student of hers, is now about to abandon all that he had previously gained. Thus begins a journey of reason and contemplation between the two until Boethius in the end finds the consolation that he had almost given up upon. Interspersed between the dialogues of Boethius and Philosophy are a number of poems that range in subject matter and content. More numerous at the beginning of the work, the poems often times serve as transitions between arguments or help to put difficult concepts into a clearer light. Thus a remarkable harmony is reached between prose and poetry that can be appreciated even in an English translation, a rare feat indeed. (For my reading I chose the V. E. Watts translation published by Penguin Classics).
It is perhaps significant to understand the time in which Boethius lived a bit better to gain a more accurate reading of his work. Living long after Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century A.D., it is widely accepted that Boethius was a Christian and believer of the tenants of the Catholic Church (at a time when the Gothic emperor Theodoric, also a Christian but belonging like all Goths to the heretical Arian sect that believed that the father and son were not of one substance). One must find it a bit peculiar than that at no point in Boethius’ text is Christianity mentioned in any overt context. To find a believer in his last days before death turning not to theology for comfort, as one might expect, but rather to philosophy has raised many questions about the nature of Boethius’ belief. But one only has to look to the title of the work to see that Boethius is choosing philosophy for the subject of his work and could very well indeed have thought theology a better consolation, although one that would be and should be treated in an altogether separate treatise. With this in mind, Boethius draws on the works of the great philosophers and thinkers of antiquity; Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, St. Augustine, the Stoics, and the Neo-Platonists. This feat being all the more remarkable because Boethius apparently relied on his own memory to produce the arguments and passages seeing as he had no access to any literary sources while imprisoned.
Boethius has rightly been called the last classical man. Indeed his thoughts and works can be seen as forming a bridge between the classical world and the Middle Ages. The Consolation influenced countless numbers of theologians throughout the Middle Ages and direct references are to be found in the works of masters such as Dante and Chaucer. His lonely contemplation of good and evil, fate and free will, fortune and the nature of happiness certainly still have an allure to inquisitive minds to this day.
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