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

268 Pages·2020·1.745 MB·English

by  Donna Trembinski

ILLNESS AND AUTHORITY
Disability in the Life and Lives of Francis of Assisi
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DONNA TREMBINSKI
Illness and Authority
Disability in the Life and Lives
of Francis of Assisi
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2020
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4875-0741-1 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3620-6 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3619-0 (PDF)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Illness and authority : disability in the life and lives of Francis
of Assisi / Donna Trembinski.
Names: Trembinski, Donna, 1974– author.
Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200285998 | Canadiana (ebook)
20200286153 | ISBN 9781487507411 (cloth) | ISBN 9781487536206 (EPUB) |
ISBN 9781487536190 (PDF)
Subjects: LCSH: Francis, of Assisi, Saint, 1182–1226 – Health. | LCSH:
Christian saints – Italy – Assisi – Biography. | LCGFT: Biographies.
Classification: LCC BX4700.F6 T74 2020 | DDC 271/.302 – dc23
_____________________________________________________________________
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Federation
for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Awards to Scholarly
Publications Program, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts
Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
Funded by the Financé par le
Government gouvernement
of Canada du Canada
For Michael and Clara
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 3
1 Francis Overdiagnosed and Undiagnosed 26
2 Recentring Illness and Infirmity in Francis’
Lived Experience 36
3 Et licet infirmus fuisset semper: Testimonies of Illness
in the Early Lives of Francis 47
4 Disability and Tensions in Francis’ Lived Experience 85
5 The Hagiographers’ Search for Meaning 108
6 On Disability, Power, and Gender:
A Speculative Conclusion 131
Postscript: On the Importance of Disability
as a Category of Analysis 158
Appendix. Recentring Illness: A Revised Chronology
of Francis’ Life 161
Notes 163
Bibliography 229
Index 247
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Acknowledgments
Illness and Authority was almost ten years in the making, and it could
not have been done without the support of many, many people. First
and foremost, it is safe to say that this book would not have existed had
my daughter Clara not come into the world in 2010. She refocussed
my life and changed my goals and, yes, even my research projects.
My partner Michael also provided unwavering support, from proof-
reading chapters to organizing playdates when I was working. My
extended family, my parents Don and Chris, my sister Carrie, my aunt
Carole, and my in-laws Don, Jean, Chris, and Margaret also provided
immense support, cheerleading, and not a little bit of guilt about not
being done yet! Finally, Denise DeCoste, whose role in our lives defies
category, helped me, in more ways that I can count, find the time to
finish this book.
Academic colleagues and friends were also sources of inspiration and
support. Since early school days, Drs. Isabelle Cochelin, Joe Goering,
and Bernice Kaczynski have provided continual guidance on academic
life and writing. I am also particularly blessed to have had a cohort
of wonderful medievalists with whom I trained at the University of
Toronto; I still often turn to them for answers and advice.
The community of scholars at my current institution, St. Francis
Xavier University, who supported this research project in spite of the fact
that it was about the “wrong” St. Francis, also deserve special thanks –
especially, but not only, Dr. Robert Zecker in the Department of History,
Dr. Christina Holmes of the Health Program, Dr. Sharon Gregory in the
Department of Art History, and Drs. Robert Kennedy and Ron Charles
in the Department of Religious Studies. The Department of History’s
administrative assistant, Joanne Bouchard, also enabled me in many
ways to finish this project, from helping me figure out the new pho-
tocopier to witnessing contracts. Finally, I could not have finished this