Wounds of Love: The Mystical Marriage of Saint Rose of Lima

by Frank Graziano

Book Overview

The Peruvian mystic St. Rose of Lima (Isabel Flores y Oliva, 1586-1617) was canonized in 1671 as the first saint of the New World and remains the object of widespread devotion today. In this engrossing new study, Frank Graziano uses the example of St. Rose to explore the meaning of female mysticism and the way in which saints are products of their cultures.
Virginity, austerity, eucharistic devotion, incessant mortification, and mystical marriage...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195136403
• ISBN13: 9780195136401
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Fundamental Things Apply

Individuals who injure themselves have existed throughout history. This fascinating case study shows the historical context of this perplexing behavior. Saint Rose of Lima explained her self-inflicted suffering with the values of 16th-century South America the way an anorexic today draws on current values. Why do self-injurers win social approval and subtle encouragement? Rose's huge popularity during her lifetime and ever since is brilliantly explained here based on extensive original research. This tale brings true insight into the human psyche in any time period.

Saints and Insanity

This remarkable book is the result of impeccable research combined with a strong command of interpretive theories. The chapters on the psychology of mysticism are incredible. Highly recommended for anyone interested in female mysticism, the psychology of religion, and colonial Latin America.

A Major Work

In this innovative study, St. Rose of Lima provides a focus for the broader exploration of themes in medieval and early-modern mysticism. The politics of canonization, the textual construction of saints, and mystical marriage are all treated with insight and precision. The discussion is profoundly interdisciplinary, combining the methods of history, cultural studies, and psychology to elucidate how saints are formed by their cultures. This book is a major and extraordinary accomplishment.

Excellent!

Excellent- sets a new standard for the scholarship on saints and mystics. Provocative, clearly reasoned, and beautifully written.