Description
Book SynopsisOne of the best-loved saints of all time, Francis of Assisi is often depicted today as a kind of proto-hippie or early environmentalist. This book, the most comprehensive study in English of Francis''s view of nature in the context of medieval tradition, debunks modern anachronistic interpretations, arguing convincingly that Francis''s ideas can only be understood in their 13th-century context. Through close analysis of Francis''s writings, particularly the Canticle of the Sun , Sorrell shows that many of Francis''s beliefs concerning the proper relation of humanity to the natural world have their antecedents in scripture and the medieval monastic orders, while other ideas and practices-his nature mysticism, his concept of familial relationships with created things, and his extension of chivalric conceptions to interactions with creatures-are entirely his own. Sorrell insists, however, that only by seeing Francis in terms of the Western traditions from which he arose can we appreciate
Trade Review"The author is well qualified for this study. Moreover, the book's scope is wide-ranging, and the style is very readable. Contains an exhaustive bibliography and an excellent index. Recommended for readers at all levels." * Choice *
"In view of the many treatments of this topic already available, one might well ask whether it is possible to say anything new or significant. In this study. R. Sorrell has done precisely that in a very convincing way." * Journal of Religion *
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: THE MYTH OF THE MEDIEVAL VIEW OF NATURE; APPENDIX I: FRANCIS AND CATHARISM; APPENDIX II: ANALYSIS OF THE EARLY FRANCISCAN SOURCES; APPENDIX III: THE SERMON TO THE BIRDS IN THE EARLY SOURCES; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY
