Living Memory : Boethius, Cassiodorus, and the Consolation of Philosophy

The Afterlife of Boethius

Fabio Troncarelli examines the Late Antique Cassiodorian edition of the “Consolation of Philosophy” by Boethius in this new study consisting of five chapters. The first one offers a brief sketch of the lives of the two protagonists of the story. The second concerns the medieval copies of the edition, some very close to the original archetype, preserving even its formal aspect, and the indication of its first transcription in Ravenna in the sixth century. The third chapter establishes a comparison between some typical rhetorical, philosophical, and editorial methods used by Cassiodorus and the ones found in Boethius’s edition. The fourth chapter explores possible reasons for Cassiodorus’s decision to produce such an edition during the years of the collapse of Osthrogotic rule in Italy. The final chapter discusses the “living memory” of Boethius’s reputation at Vivarium and the relationships between his murder and Amalsuintha’s murder as understood and covertly preserved by the Vivarian monks.