A Convent Tale: A Century of Sisterhood in Spanish Milan [Hardcover]

P. Renee Baernstein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 041592717X | ISBN-13: 978-0415927178 | Publication Date: September 6, 2002 | Edition: 1

Power often operates in strange and surprising ways. With A Convent Tale, Renee Baernstein uncovers some of the nuanced methods cloistered women devised to exert their agency. In the tradition of Simon Schama and Steven Ozment, Baernstein uses the compelling story of a single clan, the Sfondrati, to refashion our understanding of the early modern period. Showing the nuns as neither helpless victims nor valiant rebels, but reasonable beings maneuvering as best they could within limits set by class, gender and culture. Baernstein writes against the tendency to depict women as inactive pawns, and shows that even within the convent walls, nuns were empowered by ties with their (often earthly) families and actively involved in the politics of the period. Both a major contribution to scholarship on gender, family and religion in early modern Europe, and a colorful well-told tale of Renaissance intrigue, A Convent Tale is sure to attract a wide range of academic and general readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Recounting the turbulent history of the Angelic convent of San Paolo, A Convent Tale is boldly revisionist and a major contribution to Counter-reformation history. Richly documented, and written with passion and verve, this important book is a must-read for students of the church, Italy, and women. -- Richard L. Kagan, author of Lucrecia's Dreams
Founded as an experimental community of active, missionary women, Milan's Angelic convent eventually became something strikingly different--a cloistered bastion of gendered reform. Full of strong characters, A Convent Tale is a beautifully written book about this complex transformation. -- Kathryn Burns, author of Colonial Habits
A vivid and fascinating story of a tumultuous century, a Catholic society, a contentious religious order, and an ambitious family dynasty, A Convent Tale is an exemplary history of religion and society in early modern Europe. -- R Po-chia Hsia, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University
This book by P. Renee Baernstein tells the tale of the convent's constant reimagining of itself between 1535 and 1635 in response to ever-changing external and internal circumstances, in such a way that its many transformations seem natural rather than forced. -- Katie Lowe, Goldsmiths' College, University of London
This book is essential for all historians of early modern catholic reform. -- Ann W. Ramsey, Renaissance Quarterly
[A] wonderful new monograph...which charts the development of the Milanese convent San Paolo from its establishment in 1535 through the tumultuous decadesof the Counter-Reformation...A Convent Tale with its beautiful writing and thick descriptions, brings to life the world these nuns inhabited. -- Sixteenth Century Journal

About the Author

P. Renée Baernstein is Associate Professor of European History at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and holds degrees from Cornell University and Harvard University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (September 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041592717X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415927178
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,671,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history, October 26, 2004

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Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Convent Tale: A Century of Sisterhood in Spanish Milan (Hardcover)

This is a fine history of a particular convent/religious order (the Angelicas) in Milan from its origins in 1530 to around 1630 in detail, and then a quick epilogue to its suppression in 1810 and refounding in 1879. While there is lots of good, primary source information about the convent itself, in many ways the convent history is a springboard to larger issues of the day -- various class and gender issues, along with a general look at Milan, church politics, etc. I found it particularly interesting because I have always viewed the Tridentine enclosure as a positive, freeing act for the nuns. This book, however, has a slightly different, though quite fairly and well delineated take on it.

I should also comment that the book seemed especially well written to me. The author has a good command of words and I look forward to any future work she may produce.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of the period, in general, and gender or Church history in particular.