Ordering Chaos: The Self and the Cosmos in Twelfth-Century Latin Prosimetrum (Medieval and Renaissance Authors and Texts, 3)

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. 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 This book investigates five innovative twelfth-century prosimetrical texts inspired by Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, the difficulties that arose when these writers attempted to recapture Boethian certainty, and the survival of aspects of this literary mode in later Latin and vernacular literature