Monica

An Ordinary Saint

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Rome, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&
Cover of the book Monica by Gillian Clark, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gillian Clark ISBN: 9780190463564
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: August 3, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Gillian Clark
ISBN: 9780190463564
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: August 3, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Rarely did ancient authors write about the lives of women; even more rarely did they write about the lives of ordinary women: not queens or heroines who influenced war or politics, not sensational examples of virtue or vice, not Christian martyrs or ascetics, but women of moderate status, who experienced everyday joys and sorrows and had everyday merits and failings. Such a woman was Monica--now Saint Monica because of her relationship with her son Augustine, who wrote about her in the Confessions and elsewhere. Despite her rather unremarkable life, Saint Monica has inspired a robust controversy in academia, the Church, and the Augustine-reading public alike: some agree with Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who knew Monica, that Augustine was exceptionally blessed in having such a mother, while others think that Monica is a classic example of the manipulative mother who lives through her son, using religion to repress his sexual life and to control him even when he seems to escape. In Monica: An Ordinary Saint, Gillian Clark reconciles these competing images of Monica's life and legacy, arriving at a woman who was shrewd and enterprising, but also meek and gentle. Weighing Augustine's discussion of his mother against other evidence of women's lives in late antiquity, Clark achieves portraits both of Monica individually, and of the many women like her. Augustine did not claim that his mother was a saint, but he did think that the challenges of everyday life required courage and commitment to Christian principle. Monica's ordinary life, as both he and Clark tell it, showed both. Monica: An Ordinary Saint illuminates Monica, wife and mother, in the context of the societal expectations and burdens that shaped her and all ordinary women.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Rarely did ancient authors write about the lives of women; even more rarely did they write about the lives of ordinary women: not queens or heroines who influenced war or politics, not sensational examples of virtue or vice, not Christian martyrs or ascetics, but women of moderate status, who experienced everyday joys and sorrows and had everyday merits and failings. Such a woman was Monica--now Saint Monica because of her relationship with her son Augustine, who wrote about her in the Confessions and elsewhere. Despite her rather unremarkable life, Saint Monica has inspired a robust controversy in academia, the Church, and the Augustine-reading public alike: some agree with Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who knew Monica, that Augustine was exceptionally blessed in having such a mother, while others think that Monica is a classic example of the manipulative mother who lives through her son, using religion to repress his sexual life and to control him even when he seems to escape. In Monica: An Ordinary Saint, Gillian Clark reconciles these competing images of Monica's life and legacy, arriving at a woman who was shrewd and enterprising, but also meek and gentle. Weighing Augustine's discussion of his mother against other evidence of women's lives in late antiquity, Clark achieves portraits both of Monica individually, and of the many women like her. Augustine did not claim that his mother was a saint, but he did think that the challenges of everyday life required courage and commitment to Christian principle. Monica's ordinary life, as both he and Clark tell it, showed both. Monica: An Ordinary Saint illuminates Monica, wife and mother, in the context of the societal expectations and burdens that shaped her and all ordinary women.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Tough Decisions by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Wellbeing by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book For Cause and Comrades by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Historiography: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Marijuana Legalization by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Cranford Level 4 Oxford Bookworms Library by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book The Ante-Room by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Muted Modernists by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Voice of the Buddha by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Practical MR Physics by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book English Vocabulary Elements by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Berlioz on Music by Gillian Clark
Cover of the book Thicker Than Oil by Gillian Clark
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy