A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy
The Life of Clare of Rimini
Jacques Dalarun author Sean L Field author Valerio Cappozzo author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Pennsylvania Press
Published:11th Oct '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This book explores the life of Clare of Rimini, a complex figure in medieval Italy, detailing her struggles and triumphs in a turbulent society.
This book centers on the remarkable life of Clare of Rimini, a woman who lived during a tumultuous period in medieval Italy. Clare's story is preserved in the Life of the Blessed Clare of Rimini, a text composed by an anonymous Franciscan. This work is notable for being the earliest known saint's life originally written in Italian, and it provides a unique glimpse into Clare's life while she was still living. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a politically charged and religiously complex environment, detailing her experiences as a twice-married, twice-widowed, and twice-exiled individual.
Clare's quest for a life of solitary self-denial led her to reside in a roofless cell within the ruins of Rimini's Roman walls. Despite her intentions, she faced opposition from local church authorities who labeled her a demonic threat. Yet, she also garnered support from influential figures, which enabled her to establish a community of like-minded women. Her journey took her to significant cities like Assisi, Urbino, and Venice, where she served as a teacher and preacher, navigating the challenges posed by her spiritual daughters.
A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy brings this captivating text to modern readers for the first time in English translation. Each chapter offers insights into various aspects of medieval society, from political power dynamics to gender roles and religious transformations. Scholars and translators Jacques Dalarun, Sean L. Field, and Valerio Cappozzo guide readers through Clare's life, providing a rich context that illuminates the complexities of urban life in medieval Italy.
"Both experts and students will find a wealth of value in this translation of and extended commentary upon The Life of Clare of Rimini. Dalarun, Field, and Cappozzo bring needed attention to Clare of Rimini...[The book's] structure allows the authors to navigate brilliantly between introducing students to many aspects of late medieval religious history as well as to the challenges and rewards of close primary source analysis. But, at the same time, the contextual essays also provide more expert readers with a deep understanding of how Clare’s life and vita stand as a complex navigation of apostolic ideals amid the growing institutional church and mendicant orders. This text is essential for those teaching and studying the rich historical moment." * Church History *
"
[A] very engaging and multifaceted book where no stone is left unturned to provide the reader with a
multilayered portrayal of this unique figure of medieval religiosity....[A] captivating read, very accessible while
never predictable.
"Clare of Rimini (ca. 1260–ca. 1324), beatified by the Church in 1785, was an Italian holy woman of exceptional activity. She has been scarcely mentioned, however, in the 'scholarly canon of medieval female figures' created by the first wave of feminist scholarship of the '1970’s and 1980’s.' This work, therefore, which presents both a clear English translation of her Life—La vita della beata Chiara da Rimino la quale fo exemplo a tucte le donne vane and a detailed analysis thereof, is a welcome study...[The work's] maginative approach makes it essential reading for several constituencies, including experts." * The Catholic Historical Review *
"Dalarun, Field, and Cappozzo have, for the first time ever, translated the medieval hagiography of Clare of Rimini into English. This alone is a remarkable service to the field of medieval Italian hagiographic literature, though their way of doing so deserves additional praise. The fact that few scholars (let alone students) know much, if anything, about this holy woman is a central motor for the development of this edition of the text. This is a volume aimed at increasing accessibility, not only to the life of this remarkable medieval woman, but to the study of the middle ages more broadly." * GENDER/SEXUALITY/ITALY *
"This highly readable, first-ever English translation of Clare’s life is much more than a translation...[An] elegant, probing analysis of a complicated medieval woman who in one of her arresting visions saw herself building a bridge on which others could cross—anticipating Catherine of Siena’s similar metaphor, and characteristic of the work the editors have done in enabling us to return to fourteenth-century Rimini." * Sixteenth Century Journal *
ISBN: 9781512823042
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
192 pages