Augustine's philosophy of life involves mediation, reviewing one's past and exercises for self-improvement. Centuries after Plato and before Freud he invented a 'spiritual exercise' in which every man and woman is able, through memory, to reconstruct and reinterpret life's aims. In this 2010 book, Brian Stock examines Augustine's unique way of blending literary and philosophical themes. He proposes a new interpretation of Augustine's early writings, establishing how the philosophical soliloquy (soliloquium) has emerged as a mode of inquiry and how it relates to problems of self-existence and self-history. The book also provides clear analysis of inner dialogue and discourse, and how, as inner dialogue complements and finally replaces outer dialogue, a style of thinking emerges, arising from ancient sources and a religious attitude indebted to Judeo-Christian tradition.

Identifies philosophy as a way of life in Augustine's early writings and his ability to blend literary and philosophical themes.

About the Author
Brian Stock is Emeritus Professor of History and Literature at the University of Toronto. His previous publications include The Implications of Literacy (1981), Augustine the Reader (1996) and Bibliotheques interieures (2005).


Book Information
ISBN 9781108466806
Author Brian Stock
Format Paperback
Page Count 254
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 400g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 153mm * 15mm