I understood that the lake St. Bernard didn't notice wasn't Como, but
Geneva. Pardon Tillinghast
On Fri, 9 Oct 1998, JOTISCHKY A wrote:
> Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 11:52:00 +0100
> From: JOTISCHKY A <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: medieval views of the natural world
>
> The discussion of medieval views of the natural world has stirred a memory
> of an anecdote about St Bernard failing to notice the beauties of Lake Como
> (I think) because he was so deep in contemplation. I don't remember where I
> read it, and apparently didn't note it down. I would be grateful for the
> reference, if any colleague knows the source. Despite this story, there is
> plenty of evidence of monastic appreciation of the glories of nature,
> usually but not always in the context of a dichotomy between 'nature' and
> 'the world' . An obvious example is Walter Daniel's description of Rievaulx
> in his Life of Ailred; other Cistercian writers who come to mind are William
> of St Denis and Miro of Ripoll. Franciscan writers, e.g. Arnold of Bonneval,
> were also attuned to the beauties of creation as a manifestation of God's
> greatness.
> There is a sensitive and evocative passage on the delights of nature as an
> aid to the worship of God in the Ignea Sagitta of the Carmelite Nicholas the
> Frenchman (c.1270).
> A couple of bibliographical references that I have found helpful on this
> theme (and I am sure colleagues can provide many others) are:
> E.R. Curtius, 'Rhetorische Naturschilderung im Mittelalter', Romanische
> Forschungen 56 (1942), 219-56
> G. Penco, 'Il senso della natura nell'agiografia monastica occidentale',
> Studia Monastica 11 (1969), 327-42
> Giles Constable discusses some examples in 'Renewal and reform in religious
> life: concepts and realities', in Renaissance and Renewal in the Twelfth
> Century, ed. G. Constable & R.L. Benson.
>
> Andrew Jotischky
> Department of History
> Lancaster University
>
>
>
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