Angela da Foligno's Memoriale: the male scribe, the female voice, and the other

Italica, Winter, 2005 by Dino S. Cervigni

A partaker of her sufferings, he comes close to sharing some of her experiences: he weeps with her while listening to her confession, believes that a person of "tantae rectitudinis et veritatis" could not be deceived (ch. 7, 306, ll. 208-15), and also hears the words that God speaks to her ("audivi a Deo sibi dici ita," ch. 9, 372, ll. 200-07).

Most importantly, the frater scriptor's multiple functions in the Memoriale emphasize the presence of Angela: throughout the Memoriale, the scribe's voice is heard not independently from, but at the service of, Angela's. In fact, although he is Angela's confessor and orders her to relate to him her experiences, the Memoriale evidences a gradual reversal of this confessor-penitent, teacher-pupil relationship. At times, in fact, he points out that both Angela and he are writing; (21) more often, he describes his role as that of a listener and confider of the divine revelations imparted to his penitent; he once becomes aware that Angela receives revelations about questions he has not yet addressed to her (ch. 6, 286, ll. 341-45); he time and again becomes Angela's disciple; (22) finally, characterizing his role as a scribe at the service of Angela, he elides his name from the text and makes himself known to the reader as fratre A. Thus, in a complete reversal of roles, Angela speaks to him as a teacher and mother who puts spiritual food into the mouth of her pupil-son:

    Et hoc ideo dico tibi in isto modo, possim te aliqualiter imboccare    vel aliqualiter immittere in os tuum....    (E questo inperzo te dico in questo modo, ch'io te possa in alcuna    maniera inbocare....) (ch. 9, 388, ll. 391-93) 

The relationship between the scribe and Angela reverses itself completely. No longer a scolder and an accuser of Angela's vociferous and scandalous conduct as he was at the time of her ecstasy in St. Francis's Basilica, the Franciscan assumes the posture of the humble disciple who seeks to learn from her teacher and that of the spiritual son who tries to imitate her mother. (23) He writes what he hears, and does not write when he is so instructed. (24) Precisely for these reasons, the scribe shares the blessings that Angela and her socia receive from the Other, as Angela says: "... fiebat benedictio super caput nostri trium ..."; "... se fazea la benedizione sopra lo capo de nui tre ..." (ch. 6, 268, 1. 139). And both Angela and the scribe must give thanks to God for the writings they have begun and written together (ch. 9, 370, ll. 179-82).

Thus, although present from beginning to end, the scribe's voice leaves the way to that of Angela. (25) Hers is the voice that speaks throughout the text. (26) Although apparently forced to speak by her confessor, in relating her experiences she is afraid that her words will be judged sinful by God, since she speaks so poorly and defectively. (27) In fact, she is aware that what she relates and her confessor writes, although true, is so inadequately expressed through words that it appears mendacious. (28) At best, what she can tell her scriptor, compared to what she hears from the Other, is either "male dicere" or "nihil dicere": "dire niente, over dire male" (ch. 9, 360, ll. 83); furthermore, time and again, as she listens to the scribe repeating to her what he has written under her dictation, Angela comments that her words are blasphemies. (29)