The Image of St. Francis: Responses to Sainthood in the Thirteenth Century by Rosalind B. Brooke (review)

REVIEWS 242 through questions of dramatic staging and construction of play types between the late medieval and Renaissance periods. Speaking primarily to a universitylevel audience comprised of students and faculty members in drama, theater history, and literary studies, it is a valuable addition to studies in early English drama and will be of immense use in advancing archival approaches to drama. KEVIN TEO, English, Indiana University Rosalind B. Brooke, The Image of St. Francis: Responses to Sainthood in the Thirteenth Century (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2006) 524 pp. Rosalind B. Brooke’s comprehensive study of the way in which St. Francis’s image was recorded in literature, sermons, architecture, and art synthesizes many different approaches to a highly influential saint and the history of his portrayal. Perhaps the title is slightly misleading because she devotes a significant portion of the book to written word and not exclusively to art and architecture . Image must therefore be interpreted in a very broad sense, widening this book’s appeal to all medievalists, particularly those interested in the monastic movement or St. Francis in general. It will certainly prove essential for art historians. It is a daunting project to unite such varied material and the introduction (chap. 1) does not sufficiently outline the multiple discussions to follow. Neither does the final chapter provide a succinct conclusion; rather it presents the life of one of Francis’s followers, Angela of Foligno, as an example of how his life was interpreted. Despite the unconventional framing of the material, it is extremely well researched and thoughtfully presented. Helpful for scholars focusing on parts of the book, it seems not to have been designed to be read all at once. At times repetitive, different sections reiterate issues or ideas previously stated. However, this has the benefit that each chapter stands alone as a study of a specific aspect of St. Francis’s portrayal. In chapter 2 Brooke does an excellent job portraying the tension that was present during Francis’s life between his own humility and piousness and an awareness of his unique status as the founder of an Order and renowned model of Christian life. The initial chapters of the book comprise summary accounts of Francis’s life and canonization. However, many of the salient points are reiterated in the later discussion and therefore these chapters appear slightly redundant. Brooke proceeds to her discussion of the Basilica’s construction (chap. 4), which begins by exposing contemporaries’ views on how incongruous such a rich church appears in contrast with a saint who focused so intensely on renunciation and poverty. As the great liberal Protestant romantic Paul Sabatier indignantly stated, “Go and look upon it, proud, rich, powerful, then go down to the Portiuncula … and you will understand the abyss that separates the ideal of St. Francis from that of the pontiff who canonized him.” The paradox that Brooke presents is similar to the contrast between humility and fame that Francis experienced in his own life. How else should the pope and his followers have conceived a place for such a great saint and the inevitable throngs of visiting pilgrims? Brooke demonstrates that certain elements of the church’s design were in a way faithful to St. Francis, such as the shape of the burial chapel REVIEWS 243 as a Tau cross. A highly intriguing chapter follows, detailing the various expositions and commentaries on the Rule by “The Four Masters,” Hugh of Digne, and papal bulls (chap. 5). The portrait that Brooke paints here is one of misinterpretation, polemics, and dissension, culminating in 1323 with the papal declaration that belief in the total poverty of Christ was heretical. Despite problems within the Order the official word is apparently not the only to survive, despite all other legenda pertaining to Francis’s having been banned in 1266 after the official Life is written by St. Bonaventure. Multiple voices of Francis’s contemporaries complemented the official portrait and fill out our information about his life and work. Brooke shows how these texts influenced one another and the varying images of Francis they imparted upon their readership. In her discussion of altar panels (chap. 7) Brooke begins to unveil beautiful puzzles and...