The Middle English St. Francis: Text and Context

Abstract

St. Francis was one of the most important religious and social innovators of his own or of any age, but medieval writings about him have received surprisingly little intensive critical analysis. One such neglected example is the unexplored first English life of Francis. Perhaps it has been considered too simple and didactic to be given focused attention. However, it is Elizabeth Kirk who has reminded us to rethink “what didactic poetry is instead of treating the term automatically as pejorative.”1 The Middle English “Life of St. Francis” found in the South English Legendary has been dismissed as a meaningless pastiche, but I argue that it has in fact a strikingly coherent message focused at a specifically English audience.KeywordsThirteenth CenturyWall PaintingMedieval LiteratureLate Thirteenth CenturyEnglish LifeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.