Personification is Our Friend by Breanna Poole
I really, really like Lady Philosophy. I enjoy the way she is written -- she has a kind of a no-nonsense attitude I just really enjoy reading her, I thought she was so interesting, just as a character.
I enjoyed that Boethius personified several concepts like Philosophy, Fortune, and Providence -- he made them seem like actual, tangible living things that we -- the readers and the speaker (which is Boethius? I'm not sure) -- can interact with. It makes the imagery of Philosophy shielding people or being the cause of attack or Fortune abandoning someone seem more....real? Easier to imagine, and easier to understand what it is that he is getting at.
I really enjoyed the format Boethius used, by having the speaker (still not clear on his identity though) actually speak with Lady Philosophy, we get to feel more of the anger over his sickness as well as understand Lady Philosophy's points and why she shouldn't or Fortune shouldn't be blamed for the misfortune of the narrator's tragic health. It just makes the book feel more real, I guess. Less like some kind of book you're not supposed to understand, and more like something honest, an honest attempt to explain his points in a creative way.
I really liked these books, especially Book Two, which talked about the many pitfalls of life and the way faith interacts with it. I really enjoyed these readings and if they're any indication of what comes next, bring on the next few books.
P.S. I commented on Owen and Zelda's posts.
P.S. I commented on Owen and Zelda's posts.
To answer your question, Boethius is the speaker. We have to remember that this is set when he is awaiting his sentence in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Like most people, he falls into self-pity with a "why me" mentality. Lady Philosophy comes to cure his disease of forgetfulness and to show him the true meaning of life. I like her, too! She reminds me of Beatrice in Dante's trilogy.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed her no-nonsense attitude as well. I like how she chastises him saying "did I not give you all the weapons you needed" she gets on to him and tells him that it is his fault that he is like this, but then shows him a kindness by wiping his tears away.
ReplyDeleteI love Lady Philosophy. I want her to be my friend and talk some sense into me every time I pull a Boethius and start whining about things I can't control. The fact that these concepts are personified makes this book so much easier to understand and connect with, and that's something I appreciate a lot about it.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the portrayal of Lady Philosophy. At first, I was really confused on who she was, like if she was a real person or just some imaginary figure of sorts. However, her character still interested me none-the-less.
ReplyDeleteThe use of Fortune, Lady Philosophy, and Providence was genius on Boethius’ part. It made the characters seem more human-like and allowed then to be pictures, especially Lady Philosophy. I could picture her ripped dress she hand sewed herself in my head with the Greek letters on them. It was a bit confusing at first trying to realize who he was talking about (thank God for the footnotes) but once I figured it out I actually was quite amazed at the way he created those three things into characters.
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