Consolation in Medieval Narrative

Introduction 1. For the Time Being: Interpretive Consolation in Augustinian Time 2. 'Quanto minorem consideras': Abelard's Proportional Consolation 3. Three Figures of the Church: Piers Plowman and the Quest for Consolation 4. Augustine and Arthur: The Stanzaic Morte and the Comforts of Elegy 5. Chaucer's Knight's Tale: Consolations at War 6. The Tower and the Turks: More's Meditative Consolation Conclusion

Chad D. Schrock is Assistant Professor of English at Lee University, USA.

"Schrock demonstrates how Augustine's understanding of time and approach to Scriptural interpretation opened up a profoundly creative space for human self-reflection in the Middle Ages. Combining criticism, philosophy, theology, and history in a dazzling piece of scholarship, Schrock's book functions as a moving piece of consolatory literature in its own right. A very important book by an outstanding scholar." -Ephraim Radner, Professor of Historical Theology, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto, Canada and author of Hope among the Fragments: The Broken Church and its Engagements of Scripture

"Consolation in Medieval Narrative offers illuminating readings of some canonical medieval texts, usefully re-animating what had seemed like settled discussions about the 'Augustinianism' of late medieval literature. Schrock recovers an Augustinian version of consolation that is simultaneously formal and ethical, often counter-intuitive, and hermeneutically rich. This book has a great deal to say about medieval aesthetics and ethics, narrative form, and the legacy of Augustine's writings." Jessica Rosenfeld, Associate Professor of English, Washington University in St. Louis, USA and author of Ethics and Enjoyment in Late Medieval Poetry: Love after Aristotle

"Consolation in Medieval Narrative is a timely about-face to serious engagement with the woefully under-explored Augustinian brand of consolation - off against the prevailing attention to philosophical (Boethian) consolation that seeks to transcend with vicissitudes of space and time through a linear intellectual ascent. With enviable grace and precision, Schrock reveals a persistent medieval fascination with consolatory forms that resist narrative closure. The result is a learned study that will be essential reading for anyone interested in medieval engagements with classical literature, philosophy, or theology." - Michael Van Dussen, Assistant Professor of English, McGill University, Canada