Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Consolation
(769 words)

1. Definition and early development

A book of consolation (Greek lógos paramythetikós, Latin consolatio, French consolation, German Trostschrift, Italian discorso consolatorio) is a literary genre that deals with appropriate behavior in the face of human suffering – especially with reference to death. In general the consolation literature of antiquity aimed at mitigating and marginalizing the factors producing suffering; a prime example is Seneca’s Ad Helviam matrem de con…

Cite this page
Spankeren, Malte van, “Consolation”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_029101>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



▲   Back to top   ▲