This book argues that the metres of Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy are arranged in patterns that have a therapeutic and liturgical purpose. The argument moves from an examination of the prosodical interplay of metre, meaning, and sound in the Consolation’s first seven poems; to a consideration of the therapeutic use of the same metre in different poems; to the discovery and exploration of an intricate system of metric repetition that comprehends every poem; and finally, to reflection on how this acoustic system shapes the listener’s memory to an intelligible design. It is argued that the ... More
Keywords: Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, metre, rhythm, poetry, memory, therapy of language, music, ascent, liturgy, prayer
Print publication date: 2015 | Print ISBN-13: 9780198718314 |
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: August 2015 | DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198718314.001.0001 |