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The Resource The consolations of writing : literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi, Rivkah Zim

The consolations of writing : literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi, Rivkah Zim

Creator
Summary
Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy as a prisoner condemned to death for treason, circumstances that are reflected in the themes and concerns of its evocative poetry and dialogue between the prisoner and his mentor, Lady Philosophy. This classic philosophical statement of late antiquity has had an enduring influence on Western thought. It is also the earliest example of what Rivkah Zim identifies as a distinctive and vitally important medium of literary resistance: writing in captivity by prisoners of conscience and persecuted minorities. The Consolations of Writing reveals why the great contributors to this tradition of prison writing are among the most crucial figures in Western literature. Zim pairs writers from different periods and cultural settings, carefully examining the rhetorical strategies they used in captivity, often under the threat of death. She looks at Boethius and Dietrich Bonhoeffer as philosophers and theologians writing in defense of their ideas, and Thomas More and Antonio Gramsci as politicians in dialogue with established concepts of church and state. Different ideas of grace and disgrace occupied John Bunyan and Oscar Wilde in prison; Madame Roland and Anne Frank wrote themselves into history in various forms of memoir; and Jean Cassou and Irina Ratushinskaya voiced their resistance to totalitarianism through lyric poetry that saved their lives and inspired others. Finally, Primo Levi's writing after his release from Auschwitz recalls and decodes the obscenity of systematic genocide and its aftermath. A moving and powerful testament, The Consolations of Writing speaks to some of the most profound questions about life, enriching our understanding of what it is to be human.--
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
viii, 323 pages
Contents
  • Introduction
  • In defence of civilization. The disciplines of reason and lyric poetry: Anicius Boethius, of the consolation of philosophy (c. 524-5): the foundations of resistance in dialogue and lyric
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer, letters and papers from prison (1943-45): Christian More, a dialogue of comfort against tribulation: a political guide to the dilemmas of religious conscience (1934-35)
  • Antonio Gramsci, Prison letters (1926-37): dialogue in dialectic
  • Preservation of self. Memory and the prisoner: self-justification in images of grace and disgrace abounding: John Bunyan, grace abounding to the chief of sinners (1666): writing the eternally present self
  • Oscar Wilde, De profundis (1897): a pastoral letter of disgrace abounding
  • Memorial narratives as salvation for the feminine self. Marie-Jeanne Roland, Memoirs (1793): writing history herself
  • Anne Frank, The diary and tales from the secret annexe (1942-44): life writing
  • The consolations of imagination and lyric poetry. Jean Cassou, trente-trois sonnets composes au secret (1943)
  • Irina Ratushinskaya, Pencil letter and No I'm not afraid (1982-86): Preserving the conviction of a poet. Testimony for mankind with hindsight and beyond resistance: Primo Levi, If this is a man (1947) and Ad ora incerta (1947-86): resisting the demolition of a man - Primo Levi, Moments of reprieve (1981): in defence of a civilization
  • Conclusions: beyond testimony
Isbn
9780691161808
Instance
Label
The consolations of writing : literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi
Title
The consolations of writing
Title remainder
literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi
Statement of responsibility
Rivkah Zim
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy as a prisoner condemned to death for treason, circumstances that are reflected in the themes and concerns of its evocative poetry and dialogue between the prisoner and his mentor, Lady Philosophy. This classic philosophical statement of late antiquity has had an enduring influence on Western thought. It is also the earliest example of what Rivkah Zim identifies as a distinctive and vitally important medium of literary resistance: writing in captivity by prisoners of conscience and persecuted minorities. The Consolations of Writing reveals why the great contributors to this tradition of prison writing are among the most crucial figures in Western literature. Zim pairs writers from different periods and cultural settings, carefully examining the rhetorical strategies they used in captivity, often under the threat of death. She looks at Boethius and Dietrich Bonhoeffer as philosophers and theologians writing in defense of their ideas, and Thomas More and Antonio Gramsci as politicians in dialogue with established concepts of church and state. Different ideas of grace and disgrace occupied John Bunyan and Oscar Wilde in prison; Madame Roland and Anne Frank wrote themselves into history in various forms of memoir; and Jean Cassou and Irina Ratushinskaya voiced their resistance to totalitarianism through lyric poetry that saved their lives and inspired others. Finally, Primo Levi's writing after his release from Auschwitz recalls and decodes the obscenity of systematic genocide and its aftermath. A moving and powerful testament, The Consolations of Writing speaks to some of the most profound questions about life, enriching our understanding of what it is to be human.--
Assigning source
Provided by Publisher
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Zim, Rivkah
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Politics and literature
  • Underground literature
  • Protest literature
  • Prisoners' writings
  • Autobiography
  • Politics in literature
  • Psychic trauma in literature
Label
The consolations of writing : literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi, Rivkah Zim
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-317) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier.
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent.
Contents
Introduction -- In defence of civilization. The disciplines of reason and lyric poetry: Anicius Boethius, of the consolation of philosophy (c. 524-5): the foundations of resistance in dialogue and lyric -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, letters and papers from prison (1943-45): Christian More, a dialogue of comfort against tribulation: a political guide to the dilemmas of religious conscience (1934-35) -- Antonio Gramsci, Prison letters (1926-37): dialogue in dialectic -- Preservation of self. Memory and the prisoner: self-justification in images of grace and disgrace abounding: John Bunyan, grace abounding to the chief of sinners (1666): writing the eternally present self -- Oscar Wilde, De profundis (1897): a pastoral letter of disgrace abounding -- Memorial narratives as salvation for the feminine self. Marie-Jeanne Roland, Memoirs (1793): writing history herself -- Anne Frank, The diary and tales from the secret annexe (1942-44): life writing -- The consolations of imagination and lyric poetry. Jean Cassou, trente-trois sonnets composes au secret (1943) -- Irina Ratushinskaya, Pencil letter and No I'm not afraid (1982-86): Preserving the conviction of a poet. Testimony for mankind with hindsight and beyond resistance: Primo Levi, If this is a man (1947) and Ad ora incerta (1947-86): resisting the demolition of a man - Primo Levi, Moments of reprieve (1981): in defence of a civilization -- Conclusions: beyond testimony
Control code
FIEb17630149
Dimensions
25 cm.
Extent
viii, 323 pages
Isbn
9780691161808
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia.
System control number
  • FIE
  • (OCoLC)865574815
Label
The consolations of writing : literary strategies of resistance from Boethius to Primo Levi, Rivkah Zim
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-317) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier.
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent.
Contents
Introduction -- In defence of civilization. The disciplines of reason and lyric poetry: Anicius Boethius, of the consolation of philosophy (c. 524-5): the foundations of resistance in dialogue and lyric -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, letters and papers from prison (1943-45): Christian More, a dialogue of comfort against tribulation: a political guide to the dilemmas of religious conscience (1934-35) -- Antonio Gramsci, Prison letters (1926-37): dialogue in dialectic -- Preservation of self. Memory and the prisoner: self-justification in images of grace and disgrace abounding: John Bunyan, grace abounding to the chief of sinners (1666): writing the eternally present self -- Oscar Wilde, De profundis (1897): a pastoral letter of disgrace abounding -- Memorial narratives as salvation for the feminine self. Marie-Jeanne Roland, Memoirs (1793): writing history herself -- Anne Frank, The diary and tales from the secret annexe (1942-44): life writing -- The consolations of imagination and lyric poetry. Jean Cassou, trente-trois sonnets composes au secret (1943) -- Irina Ratushinskaya, Pencil letter and No I'm not afraid (1982-86): Preserving the conviction of a poet. Testimony for mankind with hindsight and beyond resistance: Primo Levi, If this is a man (1947) and Ad ora incerta (1947-86): resisting the demolition of a man - Primo Levi, Moments of reprieve (1981): in defence of a civilization -- Conclusions: beyond testimony
Control code
FIEb17630149
Dimensions
25 cm.
Extent
viii, 323 pages
Isbn
9780691161808
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia.
System control number
  • FIE
  • (OCoLC)865574815

Subject

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