Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages [Hardcover]

Anne Winston-Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

For centuries, the rosary has been one of the most popular expressions of religious devotion among Roman Catholics, but its origins remain obscure. Stories of the Rose presents a compelling and readable history of the rosary in its formative years. It explores the many spiritual, literary, and artistic dimensions of the rosary and explains how and why it became so popular on the eve of the Protestant Reformation.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The rosary is a prayer, literary text, ritual, social practice, and object of religious art that was collaboratively revised and adapted by the communities of users over a period of 300 years in response to their changing spiritual and practical agendas. Winston-Allen (German, Southern Illinois Univ.) sets herself the task of examining the religious, social, artistic, and political implications of the rosary in terms of these agendas. Its history begins in or before the 13th century, when the practice began of considering the words of the Hail Mary to be roses that were being woven into a garland for the Virgin. The author's research breaks new ground by investigating nonliterary materials and the vernacular texts, especially German. She also extensively studied the artistic and other popular media of the 15th century. A comprehensive, integrative investigation that should appeal to all interested in Catholic religious practice and the cultural milieu of the Middle Ages.?Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Winston-Allen, an assistant professor of German, offers an impressive study of the history and origins of the rosary. Although Roman Catholicism is not the only faith to use prayer counting beads, "saying the rosary" is a peculiarly Catholic form of devotion, consisting of meditation on the sacred mysteries and reciting prayers to the Virgin Mary. For centuries the rosary has served as a tremendous source of inspiration and prayer for devout Catholics; its origins are obscure, but it is thought to have emerged in the Middle Ages. Winston-Allen's intriguing work sheds light on its beginnings and explores how the rosary survived when many other devotional exercises of the Middle Ages did not, why it became so popular (even at the height of the Protestant Reformation), and how it was changed over time by writers, worshipers, and religious reformers. This fascinating history provides not only much detail but also valuable insight into the continuing appeal of the rosary. Despite its somewhat scholarly tone, it is accessible to general readers. Kathleen Hughes

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press; First edition (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271016310
• ISBN-13: 978-0271016313
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,715,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Superbly Researched Study of the Rosary., October 21, 1999

By 

Howard Broman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages (Hardcover)

I got more than I bargained for in this book. As the public was being isolated more and more by clerical power the rosary offered the common folk a way to participate in the liturgy. The author addresses, especially, the plight of women & how the rosary enabled them to participate in the male dominant religious & government structure of the time. Primarily this is done through the rosary confraternities. Quite a grassroots effort for its day. This particular empowerment is nicely laid out throughout the book, without falling over the Feminist cliff. The book is heavily footnoted but since it is finely targeted to Germany most of the references are in German.

I highly recommend this book for those wanting to get a historical perspective of this powerful prayer & the controversies that always swirled around it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive history, April 3, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages (Hardcover)

This is a book about the history of the Rosary, and how its practice changed from the earliest cycles of prayers, to the Rosary we know today. If you are looking for inspirational reading, or a book to help you in your Rosary devotions, I suggest you try Caryll Houselander's "The Essential Rosary" instead.

"Stories of the Rose" discusses various possible ancestors of the modern Rosary, as well as having amptly documented references to early writings about the Rosary. Included in this book is a wide ranging discussion of the reasons why the Rosary gained in poularity at specific times in history.

A well documented book, especially on the politics and religious upheavals that surrounded the development of the Rosary, it is none the less a bit on the dry side, and would have benefitted from a better narrative format. It can be difficult to follow unless you are passingly familiar with Catholic Church history.

Recommended especially for those with an interest in history, or for those re-enactors who might really want to know what form of prayer beads were in use in the 15th century.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enduring classic, October 11, 2008

By 

Chris Laning (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages (Paperback)

The single best source on rosary history in English. The author is a professor of German at Southern Illinois University, and it shows: her research is meticulous, she cites all her sources so you can check them out for yourself, and her presentation is lively and readable.

Other books on rosary history deal mostly with the prayers, and are written to inspire people to pray. This book is actually a history of the practice of praying the rosary, including where and when it originated, how it spread, and how it fitted into the everyday lives of medieval people.

This book goes into impressive depth on devotional history, rosary and rosary-related literature, and the origin and growth of rosary guilds. My only disappointment is a mild one: it doesn't say much of anything about the actual beads -- what they are made of, where they came from, how people made or acquired their rosaries or paternosters. But that wasn't the author's purpose, nor is it her area of expertise, so it's quite forgivable. Maybe someone else will write THAT book someday.

As you will see if you go to the Paternoster-Row website and Paternosters blog, this book is my first recommendation to anyone interested in the history of rosary and paternoster beads -- there is an immense amount of valuable information here.