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Title: Saint Francis of Assisi (Hendrickson Classic Biographies)
ISBN: 1598562827
Author:
G. K. Chesterton
Publicate Date: 2008-09-30
Publish: 2008-09-30
List Price: $14.95
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Hardcover
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Glad to get to know Chesterton
A friend of mine who is a devotee of Chesterton suggested reading this biography of St. Francis as a good way to acquaint myself with his writings. She is correct. This small book is packed full of interesting thoughts about the times and circumstances in which St. Francis lived and how he helped shape the late Middle Ages with his, for the time, novel and often shocking approach to Christian living. Chesterton's insights into the person of St. Francis are excellent. I highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to become comfortable with this fine author's writings.
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2: The life of a saint and too much else!
This short volume by Chesterton on the life of St. Francis of Assisi did not satisfy me either as a biography, as a glimpse into his time period or as a devotional read. Chesterton's circuitous style of writing while passable in longer works gets annoying here particularly at moments when he goes off on long tangents. These tangents add something to the narrative, but by the time you arrive at their end you've already forgotten where you began from. The big chunks on the life of St. Francis are well done, quite honest and quite approachable, but the fact that they're interspersed with so much wandering text makes this a difficult book to read. There are better books on the life of St. Francis out there. For instance, although I've never read the English translation, the best Life of St. Francis that I have thus far read is El Hermano de As??s by Ignacio Larra??aga.
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3: Saint Francis of Assisi: A life to follow
Chesterton surprise us again with this formidable short essay about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. This is not the typical hagiography, but an inside look to the vivid facts that made us understand the true meaning of charity, fraternity and solidarity through love.
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4: Metaphysics blown across from Asia
Approaching this little book about a pillar of Catholicism with a sceptical interest in the historical aspects of the man St.F., one gets properly looked down upon by recent convert GKC. Orwell called Chesterton, his contemporary, a 'Catholic nationalist', i.e. not an English nationalist who was also Catholic. 'Chesterton was a writer of considerable talent who chose to suppress both his sensibilities and his intellectual honesty in the cause of Roman Catholic propaganda.' That seems to be about it, sorry Jim Egolf, here for once I disagree with your assessment of 'a gentleman who writes about a gentleman'.
GKC wrote this in the 20s of the 20th, shortly after converting. The book is neither 'scientific' history, nor does it make an attempt at telling me what I would like to know about St.F. In that sense it is a disappointment.
In other regards, it is worth reading. Like for his style, even if it gets annoying once in a while. He did love his pirouettes and his mannerisms. Watch this one, in the opening para:
'A sketch of St.F. ... may be written in one of three ways. ... the third way, which is adopted here, is in some respects the most difficult of all. At least, it would be the most difficult if the other two were not impossible.'
Well, we all need our little vanities.
Worse are the arrogant asides against members of other 'nations' than his newly found Catholic tribe.
Paraphrases:
The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.
In mediaevel times, nobody would have tolerated a Schopenhauer scorning life or a Nietzsche living only for scorn.
A heresy had developed around a prophet named Mahomet.
Mad metaphysics blown across out of Asia.
Or a rough summary of his theory about the spread of Christianity: it was needed because the ancient people, the pagans, were subverted by sexual perversity, specifically homosexuality in the case of the Greeks. (He did not even spell this out, but resorted to allusions, because the subject might be too offensive, I assume...)
Enough, I think.
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5: A Gentleman Writing About Another Compassionate Gentleman
G.K. Chesterton's titled ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI demonstrated once again Chesterton's charm, polite criticism, wit, and logic. Chesterton also showed that he had actual insight to St. Francis'mission and thinking. Chesterton also realized that modern misinterpretations had to be corrected to give readers a clearer understanding of a man who was complex, apparently mad, and had a passion for creation and the Creator.
Chesterton began this book with a brief explanation of the political situation in Italy whereby small politics vied for power and land. St. Francis was part of this environment and began his younger days as a soldier. In one encounter, St. Francis was captured involving Assisi and another city-state in which St. Francis was captured. This was not what St. Francis expected or wanted. This event led to dispair and depression which Chesterton said changed St. Francis from an Italian citizen and soldier to a saint. Chesterton wrote that the man who emerged from such depression and dispair emerged from this experience as a far different man. Chesterton gives a good analysis of Medieval war in Italy. Men fought for their homes, loved ones, their shrines, and their rulers with whom they were much more familiar than modern mass and mindless democracy. Chesterton accurately contrasts Medieval Italian wars with modern war which is based on false media lying, government propaganda,and vague useless slogans for war in remote areas far from family and homes. Chesterton wrote that St. Francis could be a soldier and still love people. Chesterton explains this paradox by commenting that men could do so because they knew what they were fighting for and could accept an enemy as a friend as long as the fight was fair.
Readers should know that St. Francis was a frair rather than a cloistered monk. Modern men do not understand the cloistered life unless they understand that pagans worshipped nature to the point that such worship became perverted and unnatural. The cloistered life was a reaction to such unreasonable nature worship. One could argue that St. Francis appreciated nature, but St. Francis worshipped whom he considered the Creator of nature. St. Francis was not a pantheist. Chesterton explained that the cloistered monks prior to the active frairs such as the Franciscans and Dominicans made invaluable contributions to Western Civilization. They hand copied books. The cloistered monks and nuns were Europe's first teachers during the so-called dark ages and saved learning. These people taught men how to effectively breed livestock and cultivate land. Chesterton stated that the cloistered monks and nuns were severely practical. They were severe with themselves and were practical and compassionate with everyone else.
Another aspect of St. Francis' life was that he was a poet. Chesterton made the comment that poets write about romance and love. St. Francis' poetry was devoted to Divine Love and God. St. Francis may have influenced Medieval poets such as Dante (1265-1321) whose DIVINE COMEDY had obvious religious overtones.
In spite of St. Franics poverty and asceticism, he was not a gloomy man. St. Francis was cheerful, optimistic, and free. Chesterton wrote that the Franciscans were more free than others because they took an honest vow of poverty. Anyone who is attached to his possessions could not be completly free. No one could contain St. Francis and his follwers by economic and social neccessity. Chesterton commented that he expects nothing will not be disappointed. Chesterton also commented that the Franciscans expected nothing but enjoyed everthing because they believed that creation emerged from nothing.
Chesterton related a charming story of St. Francis and his followers who were poor and had nothing unceremoniously approaching great rulers and Popes for audiences without fanfare and pomp. Yet, more secular men who had wealth and power usually received St. Francis with politeness and respect. Another charming story is that of St. Francis and his followers approaching powerful Islam rulers during the Crusades. These rulers would have executed most Catholic if approached by other Catholics. Yet, the Islamic rulers showed respect to St. Francis. These rulers did not accept Catholcism, but St. Francis' kindness and manners made the Islamic rulers respect him in spite of severe religious differences. Many crusades want to kill Moslems in battle. St. Francis went to the Middle East not to kill Moslems but to create Catholics.
Chesterton wrote this book to present a brief history and commentary of St. Francis and the Franciscans. Chesterton presented a more authenic of the Medieval era to give an authenic view of St. Francis and the Franciscans. Chestertoned showed what modern men in a crass materialistic world could learn from the Middle Ages which was intensely more religious as opposed to what has become of modern religion or what Bonhoffer called "cheap grace."
This reviewer believes that G.K. Chesterton admired both St. Franics and St. Thomas Aquinas. Chesterton's nonfiction work shows the logic and reason of St. Thomas Aquinas and the compassion of St. Francis. As an aside, readers should read Chesterton's book re St. Thomas Aquinas which is a good companion volume to this book.
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