Chaucer and the Consolation of Philosophy of Boethius by Jefferson, Bernard L - 1968

The problem of this dissertation is to estimate, if possible, the full indebtedness of Chaucer to the Consolation of Philosophy; to show that his indebtedness is inadequately represented by lists of specific verbal borrowings such as have been prepared hitherto'; and to consider the influence of Boethius on Chaucer as the influence of a philosopher on a highly intellectual poet, capable of thoroughly assimilating the Boethian teaching, of applying it to life, of using it in original ways in his poetry, and of expressing it aptly in language of his own. The culmination of the argument lies in the discussion of the minor poem Truth in Chapter III and in the discussion of Troilus and Criseyde and the Knight's Tale in Chapter IV, the poems which are the highest expression of the Boethian influence. In Chapter I Chaucer's translation is considered.