| Abstract |
"Author John Boyd White starts from the assumption that most people, including himself initially, find translations of Augustine's Confessions, purportedly a "classic of western civilization," platitudinous, pious, and unsophisticated; the "story," such as it is, is impossible to follow and trivial when one can make it out--what's the big deal about stealing pears? It was only when he read the first page in Latin that he was blown away--it was deep, vital, and original, like hearing Augustine's own voice. Reading St. Augustine's Confessions is a guide to the book as a Latin text; using an extreme form of close reading, he introduces readers, even those who have never studied the language, to the beginning sections, showing them how, by slowly reading the Latin text line by line together with his own literal translation (no poetics or poetic license), the form of Augustine's mind and the cadence of his voice become apparent, along with a sense of his culture and the drama of his struggles against it. His language plays a key role too; he remakes it in his conversations with his readers and his god, stimulating today's readers' own perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and imaginations. Reading in this way forces us to slow down; it encourages sustained attention. Confessions introduced a new genre of writing, its shape and meaning revealed only in the course of reading. As this book progresses--more quickly after the introductory sections--White continues to guide readers in thinking about how Latin sentences operate, bringing it to life as a language even when not fully understood and opening up an experience of Augustine's quest for spiritual, intellectual, and psychological maturity in the context of a tumultuous historical age not dissimilar from our own"-- Provided by publisher. |
