Arthur Livingstone, author of this 1930's
reproduction of Little Flowers, characterizes this text as a
masterful
work of folk literatures from the Middle Ages. The phrase "little
flowers" refers to "notabilia," or a collection of noteworthy events in
the lives of St. Francis and his followers. These stories were
originally collected and compiled by Brother Ugolino during the early
1300's. Ugolino attempted to draw out similarities between Jesus and St.
Francis, since both leaders taught their disciples to deny the things of
this world and to instead seek humility and holiness. Ugolino's original
Latin text was lost, but by consulting a variety of sources, scholars
have worked to reconstruct Little Flowers into both Italian and
English
translations. Livingstone advises readers to enjoy Little Flowers
with a
sense of humor, as the contents of several stories contain much irony
and amusement.