Illness and Authority: Disability in the Life and Lives of Francis of Assisi

Donna Trembinski

Published by University of Toronto Press 2020

Illness and Authority

Disability in the Life and Lives of Francis of Assisi

Donna Trembinski

https://doi.org/10.3138/9781487536190

Overview
Contents

About this book

Illness and Authority is the first monograph-length study to examine a well-known medieval saint from the perspective of disability studies.

Author / Editor information

Trembinski Donna :

Donna Trembinski is an associate professor of Medieval History at St. Francis Xavier University.

Reviews

Will Rogers, University of Louisiana:
“It is not hyperbole to suggest that this book will have an immediate and long-lasting effect both on scholarship on the Franciscans and on medieval disability studies. It is a welcome addition to both.”

Leigh Ann Craig, Virginia Commonwealth University:
“Trembinski’s new monograph, rooted in Francis’s lived experience and admirable in all particulars for its thorough scholarly acumen, offers a crucial refinement of our historical understanding of Francis’s life, and of the origins and development of his order.”

Tory V. Pearman, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Writing, Miami University Hamilton:

"In this important study, Trembinski presents a reinterpretation of St. Francis of Assisi that reframes the saint's oft-ignored illnesses and impairments as essential to his (in)ability to access traditional masculine power, both spiritual and secular. By offering an innovative reading of the saint through the lens of disability theory, Illness and Authority reveals how the disabled body of St. Francis has exceeded and challenged the narrative constraints of not only medieval hagiographers but also the modern historian."

Wendy Turner, Department of History, Anthropology and Philosophy, Augusta University:

"Trembinski is the leading authority on the health and disabilities of Francis of Assisi. In this monograph, she shows us a world of admiring followers, medieval prisons, veneration of bones, prayer, and ascetism. She also shines a light on the medieval diet, care for the impaired, and medicine. We think of Francis as the saint who walked from town to town, preaching to anyone who would listen, even the birds. Trembinski shows us another side to Francis: a man who lived with pain, who suffered from weakness and frailty, who sought medicines for internal ailments and eye complaints, and who died relatively young."

Steven J. McMichael, Theology Department, University of St. Thomas :

"Trembinski’s excellent study touches on so many issues of Francis’ life, especially the later stages: Francis’ surrender of leadership; the questions of obedience and authority; and his struggle with blindness, leprosy, and bodily pain. It is an excellent survey of Franciscan sources regarding Francis’ illness and how they have been interpreted in history."

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Chapter One Francis Overdiagnosed and Undiagnosed Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	26
Chapter Two Recentring Illness and Infirmity in Francis’ Lived Experience Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
Chapter Three Et licet infirmus fuisset semper: Testimonies of Illness in the Early Lives of Francis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
Chapter Four Disability and Tensions in Francis’ Lived Experience Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
Chapter Five The Hagiographers’ Search for Meaning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
Chapter Six On Disability, Power, and Gender: A Speculative Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
Postscript: On the Importance of Disability as a Category of Analysis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	158
Appendix Recentring Illness: A Revised Chronology of Francis’ Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247

Language: English
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Audience: College/higher education;Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 272
Keywords: disability theory; disability studies; hagiography; St. Francis of Assisi; illness; medieval saints; medieval medicine; power and gender in the Middle Ages; medieval history; Franciscan Order; religion

eBook

Published: October 28, 2020
ISBN: 9781487536190