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Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint
André Vauchez
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Description for Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint
Paperback. Drawing on the vast body of scholarship on Francis of Assisi, this book creates a complete and engaging portrait of the saint, and then explores how the memory of Francis was shaped by contemporaries who recollected him in their writings. It presents a reconstruction of Francis' life and work. Translator(s): Cusato, Michael F. Num Pages: 416 pages, 2 maps. BIC Classification: BGX; HRCC7; HRCX8. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 234 x 158 x 23. Weight in Grams: 582.
First published in France, where it was awarded the Prix Chateaubriand, this masterful new biography of Francis is now available in English
In this towering work, André Vauchez draws on the vast body of scholarship on Francis of Assisi produced over the past forty years as well on as his own expertise in medieval hagiography to tell the most comprehensive and authoritative version of Francis’s life and afterlife published in the past half century.
After a detailed and yet engaging reconstruction of Francis's life and work, Vauchez focuses on the myriad texts—hagiographies, chronicles, sermons, personal testimonies, etc.—of writers who ... Read morerecorded aspects of Francis's life and movement as they remembered them, and used those remembrances to construct a portrait of Francis relevant to their concerns. We see varying versions of his life reflected in the work of Machiavelli, Luther, Voltaire, German and English romantics, pre-Raphaelites, Italian nationalists, and Mussolini, and discover how peace activists, ecologists, or interreligious dialogists have used his example to promote their various causes. Particularly noteworthy is the attention Vauchez pays to Francis’s own writings, which strangely enough have been largely overlooked by later interpreters.
The product of a lifetime of study, this book reveals a historian at the height of his powers.
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Product Details
Publisher
Yale University Press
Place of Publication
, United States
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
About André Vauchez
André Vauchez is professor emeritus, University of Paris X. Michael Cusato, O.F.M., teaches at the Dominican House of Studies. He lives in Washington, DC.
Reviews for Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint
“This is a winner. It will have a great many readers and will dominate the field of Saint Francis studies for years to come.”—William Chester Jordan, Princeton University
William Chester Jordan “For thirty years, we have been waiting for a new scholarly biography of Francis of Assisi. André Vauchez offers us that and so much more. Not only does ... Read morehe give us a thorough assessment of Francis in his historical context; he also offers us an intimate understanding of his spiritual experience.”—Jacques Dalarun, Institut de Recherches et d'Histoire des Textes, Paris
Jacques Dalarun “The leading historian of later-medieval sainthood has here incorporated much recent Italian research in this mature appreciation of the life, cult, and varied interpretations of the era’s most engaging saintly protagonist.”—Lester K. Little, Smith College
Lester Little "[A] well-informed study… Vauchez writes lucidly and thoughtfully." —Robert E. Lerner, Times Literary Supplement
Robert E. Lerner
Times Literary Supplement
“This new biography will reinvigorate our appreciation of Francis’ originality and radicalism.”—Martin L. Smith, Washington Independent Review of Books
Martin L. Smith
Washington Independent Review of Books
“An indispensable document attesting to what can be known of the Poor Man of Assisi, as well as a stirring exemplum of written history.”—Michael Signorelli, Paris Review Daily
Michael Signorelli
Paris Review Daily
“Comprehensive [and] engaging.”—P. L. Urban Jr., Choice
P. L. Urban Jr.
Choice
“Fascinating”—John L. Murphy, PopMatters
John L. Murphy
PopMatters
“The single best book about Francis now available in English . . . Vauchez must be given the crown.”—Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal
Lawrence C. Cunningham
Commonweal
“Full of nuance and engaging detail, providing insight into [an] enduring legacy”—Iris McLister, Santa Fe New Mexican
Iris McLister
Santa Fe New Mexican
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