Reviews
“Ann Astell's elegant translation of Alan's commentary on Solomon's love song catapults the reader into a world of vivid metaphor in which the creatures of God become material symbols of spiritual beauty. Inspiring poets from Dante to Spenser, Alan's reading of the Song became a staple for Christian apologetics in praise of God's Artifact, underpinning both contemplative treatises on the ascent of the soul and catalogues of the creatures encountered in Scripture. Astell's introduction and notes make this richness clear to the modern reader, while at the same time inviting us to encounter the truth of the Incarnation on which Alan's allegory drew. A gem of a medieval text, exquisitely rendered into modern prose.”
Rachel Fulton Brown, author of From Judgment to Passion: Devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary, 800-1200 and Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought
"With In Praise of the Virgin Mary, the God Bearer, Ann Astell lets us listen in on Alan of Lille the exegete, a novel experience for readers familiar with his work in other genres. Alan wields the arts of the trivium with agility, and he plays amidst the four senses of scripture as the roe and the young deer upon the mountains, interweaving his explanations with wordplay and paradox as well as scriptural and patristic allusions—this much, we expect from a Parisian magister. What surprises is the treatise’s premise, a bold yet deeply orthodox invention that brings Christ and the Virgin ‘on stage,’ as it were, to speak the words of the lover and the beloved in the Song of Songs. Astell’s fluent translation, supplemented by explanatory footnotes, gives the reader a clear view of Alan’s expressive range. Her introduction also makes the case for the significance of this text, most notably as a key to a more authentic understanding of Alan’s epic poem, Anticlaudianus. This book offers valuable new insights to readers interested in Song of Songs exegesis, in twelfth-century devotion to the Virgin, and in Alan of Lille."
Bridget K. Balint, Indiana University-Bloomington
“This Marian elucidation of the Song of Songs is a text of beauty. In it, Alan of Lille shows mastery of the techniques of medieval exegesis, deep interest in the doctrines of Bernard of Clairvaux, and rich personal insight, affection, and artistry of his own. So well-schooled in Christian tradition and biblical poetics, and setting aside private revelations and pious legends, Alan takes the Song of Songs as an opportunity to reflect on the New Testament’s depiction of Mary’s love for Christ. His text will be warmly received by devotees of Mary and of the Song of Songs, as well as by students of history, theology, and literature. Ann Astell’s work on the text is supported by decades of study and is exemplary as a modern-day presentation of a medieval text; her translation is lucid, her introduction integrates fitting context with fresh insights, and her notes offer excellent guidance to novice and veteran alike. With this volume, one of the most famous scholars of the late twelfth century, generally known for more esoteric or argumentative works, shines out with a Christian devotion that matched his intellectual brilliance.”
Fr. Joseph Van House, OCist, assistant professor of theology, University of Dallas
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