Teresa of Avila: The Progress of a Soul: Amazon.ca: Cathleen Medwick: Books

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Saint Teresa (1515-1582) is widely considered one of the greatest mystics and woman reformers of the Renaissance. Author Cathleen Medwick (a former editor at Vanity Fair and Mirabella) clearly invested an enormous amount of research into this impressive biography of a brazen and complicated woman. Although she broke many of the social rules for nuns and even women of her day (for instance, she slept under the stars, traveled at whim, and spoke her mind freely), it was her ecstatic raptures that made her so controversial. "Sometimes she dropped to the floor and was frozen in position for hours, unable to speak," writes Medwick. "At other times she conversed with God directly, a dangerous practice, the Inquisition often having its ear to the door." Readers will find a fascinating character in this fully flawed and charismatic Spanish saint. More delightfully, readers will appreciate Medwick's strong narration and sense of story that sustains us through Teresa's trials and tribulations--and expertly leads us to her final rapture. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

A fascination with what she calls the "journey" of the 16th-century Spanish saint sustains Medwick's disappointing biography of Teresa of Avila. The saint was both a profound searcher of the self who succumbed to rapturous interludes and a harried organization freak who struggled to bring about her vision of cloistered community while buffeted by illness and accusations. Medwick, a former editor for Vogue and Vanity Fair, rightly characterizes Teresa as "a daughter of the church," but her laudatory effort to situate her subject in the religious culture of contemporary Spain falls short of its objective. Medwick's Teresa is domesticated and ahistorical, disconnected from the world in which she lived. Medwick eschews analysis for summary, resulting in a rather superficial portrait of the saint. Far too often, also, it is unclear whose voice we are hearing, Medwick's or Teresa's. Unfortunately, the "journey" that Medwick recounts here is far less complex and penetrating than Teresa's actual one, as revealed by her life and writings. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Product Description

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Historical Account of a Female Saint, Dec 13 2002

By	Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I greatly enjoyed reading Cathleen Medwick's extraordinarily detailed biography of Saint Teresa of Avila. Saint Teresa shines forth as a fascinating historical figure in TERESA OF AVILA: THE PROGRESS OF A SOUL because she seemed to have an innate ability to continually seek the highest possible spiritual path throughout her life. Whenever temptation arose, she was willing to do whatever might be necessary to right herself again -- regardless whether the form of temptation or evil took human or supernatural form.

Medwick maintains a detached tone throughout this riveting story, which provides one with a better idea of what it was like to live in Saint Teresa's time (with the Inquisition wreaking havoc in the lives of some spiritual people). Descriptions of how Teresa must have felt as she experienced amazing spiritual epiphanies are handled with grace and aplomb by Medwick, who shares the facts without ever stooping to speculation nor overly exalting Teresa.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to better understand what life was like for a spiritual woman in 16th century Europe whose utmost desire was to be as close to God as possible.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4.0 out of 5 stars A Labor of Love, May 17 2002

By	Octoberflybaby "body-n-soul" (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This book was assigned for me to read in view of perhaps using it for a study group at my church, so I read it pretty closely. Cathleen Medwick must have spent years researching her topic with love and dedication: the book follows Teresa of Avila very closely and we come away feeling that we have been in the presence of a towering spirit, though always down to earth, humble, and obedient to her superiors as expected from a dutiful nun, who also happens to experience unbelievable extasies while remaining extremely business-savvy and diplomatic. The book is extremely well written, and the passages that are translated from Teresa's own writings are lively and engaging. It made me want to read Teresa's own works, especially her "Vida" and "The Interior Castle." One caution: Medwik doesn't baby her readers, and if she's first translated a Spanish word or term, she will be using that word without translation in the rest of the book, so you have to pay attention. I had trouble with the hundreds of characters that are introduced in this book with whom Teresa had dealings during her long life, but only very few take on flesh and bones in this biography beside herself and some of her confessors. An index of Spanish words, and a list of characters might have been helpful to the distracted reader. A very thorough scholarly work that can be enjoyed by any serious reader eager to get acquainted with Teresa's life and times.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice enough tale about an important saint, Jul 4 2001

By	J S (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Some reviewers complain this book does not describe Teresa's mysticism. This is true. Perhaps the subtitle is confusing, but the inside jacket flap will tell you there will be little mysticism discussed in the book. For those of you considering this book over the Internet, let me reiterate: this is not a book on mysticism.

That said, this compelling book describes the life of one of Catholicism's most prominent saints. It works as a foil to the saint's own writings. Reading Teresa's works alone tell you little about her world. Lacking context, you cannot hope to understand why she was writing what she wrote, the way she wrote it, and what she was really trying to say (without saying it directly). Medwick does not psychoanalyze Teresa. The book is a rather dry history.

For this reason, I *really* recommend Gillian Ahlgren's "Teresa of Avila and the Politics of Sanctity" and Alison Weber's "Teresa of Avila and the Rhetoric of Femininity". These two books more clearly depict the contours of the battles between Teresa and the Church. As a woman mystic, Teresa caused all sorts of problems: women could not teach theology, yet she was a teacher. Following her death, the Church "de-feminized" the saint in a process sad, chilling, and instructive. Unfortunately, these two books are fairly academic - big words, complex sentences, and sometimes impenetrable logic. (A warning to those who avoid those sort of things.)

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 19 customer reviews...

Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Saint Teresa's writings speak for themselves
I have read almost everthing that St. Teresa of Avila wrote. My favorite book is the Interior Castle. While Ms. Read more

Published on Jul 4 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars great disappointment
Although Medwick is an assiduous researcher, she is a relentlessly dreary writer. Anyone interested in the life, mind, spirit and times of Teresa of Avila should look elsewhere... Read more

Published on Jun 8 2001

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't deliver
The progress of St. Teresa's soul is glossed over despite the subtitle. The book effectively describes her progress in establishing convents and monasteries against rather... Read more

Published on April 24 2001 by R. J. Marsella

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bio. of Teresa de Avila for today's woman.
I've admired and sometimes prayed to Teresa of Avila most of my 50+ years (fyi, I am not a devout Catholic, but it's in my culture). Read more

Published on Mar 15 2001