Summary: The rediscovery of Lucretius’ text by Italian scribe (Poggio Bracciolini) and its impact on contemporary / renaissance thinking.
Quote:
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“[With Lucretius] it became possible – never easy, but possible – in the poet Auden’s phrase to find the mortal world enough.” {Preface}
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“Acediosus, sometimes translated as “apathetic,” refers to an illness, specific to monastic communities, which had already been brilliantly diagnosed in the late fourth century by the Desert Father John Cassian. The monk in the grip of acedia would find it difficult or impossible to read.” {Ch.2}
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“Without wishing to emulate the pagan elites by placing books or writing at the center of society, without affirming the importance of rhetoric or grammar, without prizing either learning or debate, monks nonetheless became the principal readers, librarians, book preservers, and book producers of the Western world.” {Ch.2}
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“Just when the gods had ceased to be, and the Christ had not yet come, there was a unique moment in history, between Cicero and Marcus Aurelius, when man stood alone.” {Ch.2 quoting G. Flaubert}
Interesting reading referenced:
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The history of flagellation (including hermetic) in “In Praise of the Whip” by N. Largier
Further reading:
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On finding peace in Lucretius see “Shipwreck with Spectator” by H. Blumenberg
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“The Emergence of Monasticism” by M. Dunn
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John Dryden’s 1685 translation of Lucretius seems delightful
