Great Texts 2302 Facts and Dates

When did Boethius live?

477-524

What was Boethius accused of?

Treason by sending letters east and conspiring with Emperor Justinian

Who executed Boethius?

Ostrogoth king Theodoric, who was Arian

What did Boethius write?

Treatises on music, arithmetic, astronomy, logic, and theology

What did Boethius aspire to do?

Translate and synthesize all of Plato's and Aristotle's writings

What is Boethius considered within the church?

A martyr for orthodoxy

What genre is Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy?

Prosimetrum (alternating poetry and prose)

How widespread was Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy?

It was the second most copied medieval work after Scripture

When did Thomas Aquinas live?

1225-1274

What monastic order was Aquinas a part of?

He was Dominican (the one founded by Dominic and was especially dedicated to research and teaching)

What were some of Aquinas' key beliefs (3)?

1. Disputation (questioning doubtful matters) is an essential element of preaching.

2. Human will is an essential part of charity, which is friendship with God

3. God's gift (infusion) is an essential part of charity

What was Aquinas' Summa Theologica influenced by?

Peter Lombard's Book of the Sentences

What caused the emergence of a significant portion of scholastic thinking?

The development of the medieval university, especially the University of Paris.

When did Dante Alighieri live?

1265-1321

How is the Divine Comedy structured?

It contains 100 cantos written in terza rima.

What does terza rima mean?

It is a rhyme structure containing groups of three with rhyme scheme of ABA, BCB CDC, etc.

Where is Dante from?

Florence

What were the two political parties in conflict in Florence?

Guelphs (supporters of the papacy) and Ghibellines (supporters of the Holy Roman Empire).

How were the Guelphs divided?

They were split into the Black party (wanted the Pope to control Florence) and the White party (wanted the city-state to be autonomous)

Did the Guelphs or the Ghibellines win?

The Guelphs won

What party was Dante a part of?

The White Guelph party

When/where/why was Dante exiled?

Dante was exiled to Ravenna in 1302 when the Black Guelphs defeated the White Guelphs.

Who is the protagonist of the Divine Comedy?

Dante-pilgrim

When does the Divine Comedy take place?

It is set in the year 1300 with Dante (age 35) halfway through a normal 70 year lifespan.

Who did Dante write love sonnets to in his earlier Vita Nuova?

Beatrice Portinari

What is Beatrice in the Divine Comedy?

A vessel and symbol of divine beauty and love.

When did Julian of Norwich live?

1342-after 1416

When did Julian of Norwich receive her visions?

May 8, 1373

How many showings did Julian of Norwich receive?

15 on May 8, one more the next night

What did Julian of Norwich become?

An anchoress (from the Greek anachorein "withdraw") in the church of St. Julian of Norwich

What is Julian of Norwich's actual name?

We don't know; she is referred to by the church she was at.

What is significant about Julian of Norwich's book?

It is the earliest known text written in English by a woman

How many books did Julian of Norwich write?

Two: the "Short Text" soon after the visions, and the "Long Text" ~20 years later, after her reflection on the visions

What are notable features of the Long Text?

It includes the parable of the Lord and Servant and the concept of God as mother

When did Geoffrey Chaucer live?

1343-1400

What did Chaucer translate?

Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy (into English)

What is Chaucer considered?

The Father of English Poetry

What is Chaucer's only complete poem, and when did he write it?

Troilus, 1382-87

What major event happened shortly before the writing of Troilus?

The Great Western Schism (1378), there was uncertainty about who was the validly elected Pope; it was resolved in 1417

What are scholars uncertain about in Troilus?

How to interpret the "Palinode": the song of reversal/taking back in the last twelveish stanzas