During the Medieval period in which they were first organized, the universities such as Oxford operated as kingdoms unto themselves, the intellectual work associated with the vita contemplativa occurring in isolation behind cloistered walls that exempted the monkish scholars from the practical exigencies of the town’s daily life.
Meaning, in general, is a process in which resonance is found and created. It has a setup-payoff structure. A perfect image of this is Chekhov’s so-called gun. Chekhov’s gun is a dramatic principle that insists that everything in a story should be necessary.
How do I know what to read? If I have not read a book before, how do I know whether it will be any good? After all, reading a book, especially if I read it well, is a significant investment of hours. Every time I commit to reading one book, I am simultaneously choosing, by …
Much of Boethius' work The Consolation of Philosophy speaks of luck, or Fortuna. However, as The Consolation of Philosophy continues, the reader is brought to Boethius' inevitable conclusion. That it is self-examination that provides humans with lasting happiness. The Consolation of Philosophy is not necessarily a Christian work or just about suffering but, instead, the power …
