Francis of Assisi and His “Canticle of Brother Sun” Reassessed

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxvii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 1-8

3. Francis of Assisi: A Man of His Time

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 9-27

4. Pain and Praise: The Composition of the “Canticle”

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 29-42

5. Words and Meanings

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 43-52

6. The Form and Structure of the “Canticle”

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 53-70

7. Francis’s Mysticism and the “Canticle”

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 71-85

8. “My Sister Death”

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 87-101

9. The “Canticle” and its Contexts

   • Brian Moloney

   Pages 103-110

10. The “Knight of Christ”: Christian Chivalry in the “Canticle”

    • Brian Moloney

    Pages 111-121

11. A Commentary on the “Canticle”

    • Brian Moloney

    Pages 123-139

12. Conclusion

    • Brian Moloney

    Pages 141-151

13. Back Matter

    Pages 153-169

    PDF

Bringing the skills of a literary historian to the subject, Brian Moloney considers the genesis of Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of Brother Sun to show how it works as a carefully composed work of art. The study examines the saint's life and times, the structure of the poem, the features of its style, and the range of its possible meanings.

• art
• composition
• Italy
• mysticism
• poem
• structure
• style
• subject
• time
• translation

"[Moloney's] book is comprehensive, well informed, and clearly presented. It certainly serves the purpose of introducing first-time readers to the canticle by offering all the essential ingredients to interpret and analyse it from a literary, theological, and spiritual point of view." - Modern Language Review

Brian Moloney is Emeritus Professor at the University of Hull and the University of Wollongong.

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