Shows how the figure of Mary has shaped and been shaped by changing social and historical circumstances and why for all their beauty and power,the legends of Mary have condemned real women to perpetual inferiority.
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"Dramatic, informative and entertaining...a substantial and provocative book." - TLS
"A work of remarkably elegant and eloquent scholarship." - Observer
"Astonishing and enlightening.... packed with scholarship, imagery, vivid selection, and wry contrastive comment." - Margaret Mead
"A work of remarkably elegant and eloquent scholarship." - Observer
"Astonishing and enlightening.... packed with scholarship, imagery, vivid selection, and wry contrastive comment." - Margaret Mead
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Shows how the figure of Mary has shaped and been shaped by changing social and historical circumstances and why for all their beauty and power,the legends of Mary have condemned real women to perpetual inferiority.
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41 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By "troytron"
Format:Paperback
The fact remains that this book offers a very solid and accurately researched survey of the development of the "phenomenon" of devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is not exhaustive by any means, but traces all the major strains of development from at least the third century. What the book fails to do adequately is critically delve into the real roots of Marian themes as found in the New Testament records. Indeed, what we see in the very first century of the Christian/Biblical era is a rather rapid (and radical) development of attitudes about the Mother of Jesus, a shift from early indifference and ignorance of Mary's role (the Marcan Gospel, Pauline letters) to an outright "lifting up" of Mary as the Ideal Christian, the First True Disciple, worthy of loud praise (Luke), and even iconic status as Eve-Israel 'Mother of believers'(John) and glorified symbol of the Church itself (Revelation). I wish Werner had spent more time drawing attention to how swift and startling these developments in the understanding of Mary were when the New Testament writings were being composed. Also, how did these "arcs of thought" regarding Mary take root geographically in the 2nd century church? Werner could have noted that it was no coincidence that Gospel communities giving great prominence to the figure of Mary(Luke's Antioch, the Johannine churches) in the first century continued to preserve these emphases in the 2nd (Ignatius of Anioch, Irenaeus-Justin, etc). Otherwise, Werner gives a solid depiction of how formative ecclesiastical motives (asceticism, Christological controversy) rattled the chains of Mary's rather flexible image in the patristic age, and how her mystique lent itself so readily to mythical, legendary rumblings about her death, intercessory powers, etc. A fascinating handbook and not even remotely [a] feminist manifesto ... It seems that some would have a hard time handling the reality that much of what Mary represents was a complex combination of iconic mythologizing that began in Scriptural/Apostolic times and only grew in succeeding centuries according to the demands of the age and normal human piety.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Marina Warner's writing style is so magnificent that each paragraph seems a tribute to the beauty of the English language. I should like to use this book as an instruction manual for advanced courses in literary composition.
In itself, this book is a landmark work of European history. Marina's treatment of nearly a millennium of devotions, historical implications, poetry, art, and culture is exceedingly extensive and cohesive.
I withheld the fifth star because the underlying thesis, that the devotions to Mary have condemned women to inferior status, distorts the essence of the devotions chronicled. Even in the 'age of faith,' the connections between devotion, which admits to God's ways being unknowable, and the physical manifestations (icons, relics and the like) which make them come alive for the believer, hardly would have been veritable manuals of 'how to use Mary's holiness to underline female inferiority.' In fact, were this book a historical work without the feminist angle, it would have been far better.
In itself, this book is a landmark work of European history. Marina's treatment of nearly a millennium of devotions, historical implications, poetry, art, and culture is exceedingly extensive and cohesive.
I withheld the fifth star because the underlying thesis, that the devotions to Mary have condemned women to inferior status, distorts the essence of the devotions chronicled. Even in the 'age of faith,' the connections between devotion, which admits to God's ways being unknowable, and the physical manifestations (icons, relics and the like) which make them come alive for the believer, hardly would have been veritable manuals of 'how to use Mary's holiness to underline female inferiority.' In fact, were this book a historical work without the feminist angle, it would have been far better.
40 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a catholic, and one of my favorite subjects is mariology. I personally find this book illuminating in the fact that for many years many (male) theologians have used the figure of the Virgin Mary to oppress women in many different ways. I admire Marina Warner's work.
However, not always Marian dogmas are used in such a way. I think that this book makes an extraordinary point against the devotions to the Virgin Mary, but avoids the fact that also such devotions have been used to free women.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
May Our Lord have Mercy
How very sad that this Woman is so mislead. Mary our mother in Heaven is a loving, merciful, caring mother. Read more
Published 1 month ago by marisa wilks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Centuries of artful dueling over Mother Mary's message
Like an appealing art gallery guide, Warner conducts a grand tour of the legends, literature, and imagery concerning Mother Mary. Read more
Published on February 18, 2008 by Brian Griffith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for Christians
Warner's book is far more than a mere history of the Virgin Mary. It is not intended for devout Catholics who only wish to hear praise heaped on the mother of God. Read more
Published on February 21, 2005 by virgin curiosity
1.0 out of 5 stars
Excuse me, your bias is showing.
Notice that if you have an encounter with the Virgin Mary. . . and write about it you are biased. If you have a feminist axe to grind and write from the point of view of... Read more
Published on August 10, 2001 by C. Lightoller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous resource
This was a fabulous resource for understanding the evolution of the Marian cult. The one weakness of this book is that it did not deal with the pre-Christian origins of the Marian... Read more
Published on July 6, 2000 by "bounkey"
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thorough and excellent guide thru the history of the cult.
I found the author's non-Catholic bias wonderfully refreshing...here is someone who isn't interested in trying to convert the masses or paint the Catholic church in a wonderful... Read more
Published on February 28, 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars
I might recommend this book, with some reservations.
This book is very interesting and well worth reading if you have an academic interest in the Virgin Mary. It contains beautiful pictures, good poetry, and interesting stories. Read more
Published on February 21, 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars
Alone Of All Her Sex:Guideline to Goddess-inspired fiction.
I have found this book to be an invaluable source of nearly-forgotten Marian myths, incredibly useful to anyone writing Goddess-oriented fiction. Read more
Published on July 10, 1997
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints, Vol. 1 by Jacobus de Voragine on 8 pages
- Apocryphal New Testament by M. R. James on 6 pages
- The Church and the Second Sex by Mary Daly on 5 pages
- The Divine Comedy (The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso) by Dante Alighieri on 5 pages
- Song of Solomon by of Clairvaux, Saint Bernard on 5 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
- The Holy Family and Its Legacy by Albrecht Koschorke on 4 pages
- Strong Words: Writing and Social Strain in the Italian Renaissance by Professor Lauro Martines on 4 pages
- Reforming Mary: Changing Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the Sixteenth Century (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology) by Beth Kreitzer in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Textual Situations: Three Medieval Manuscripts and Their Readers (Material Texts) by Andrew Taylor in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother by Lesley Hazleton in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 100 books citing this book
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