This has been a project a long time in the making, and in the process, I have had the support of many. Many thanks to Amy Hollywood, a luminous mind, who shows and celebrates the ways in which reading, writing, and teaching are acts not only of discovery but love and risk. For their careful reading of earlier versions of this manuscript and for being such wonderful teachers and readers of the premodern world, I would like to thank Nicholas Watson, Kevin Madigan, Mark Jordan, Martha Newman, Bob Sweetman, Constance Furey, and Stephanie Paulsell. Love and gratitude to Fr. Maximos Constas, who came into my life at just the right time. Kathleen Skerrett, Natalie Polzer, and C. Abbott Conway were great gifts at McGill, and I remain deeply in their debt.
My colleagues and students at Villanova have been kind and generous. I would like to thank in particular Peter Spitaler for all his support, Martin Laird for his openhanded mentorship, Rebecca Winer, Brooke Hunter, Julie Klein, Vincent Lloyd, Kerry San Chirico, Chris Barnett, Tony Godzieba, Barbara Wall, Stefanie Knauss, Gustavo Benevides, Annamarie Benson, Tim Brunk, and Alicia Walker just down the road at Bryn Mawr. Thanks especially to Kevin Hughes for his help working through sticky issues regarding the strangeness of thirteenth-century mendicants and to Jim Wetzel for his unflagging generosity in reading things with creativity and precision. I am grateful to the university for providing a Veritas grant and a summer research fellowship that assisted in the completion of the book.
To friends who have provided conversation, encouragement, vacations, editorial help, and inspiration, thank you. Thanks especially to Amelia Perkins, Niki Clements, Natasha Bershadsky, Tamsin Jones, Charles Stang, Sarabinh Levy-Brightman, Mara Willard, Bob Davis, Kris Trujillo, Brenna Moore, Eleanor Craig, Rico Monge, Danielle and Ryan Miller, Eric Gutierrez, Krista Muir, Heidi Willms, Aimee Eggler, Eric Juhn, Carol-Anne Peterson, Sonja Srama, Julie Regan, Amisha Patel, Gina Desipio, and Jamie Garfield.
To my family near and far, especially Glen and Sheila, who gave love, interest, good humor, and childcare throughout this process and well before, thank you. Finally, my deepest love and gratitude to Brett, who has been with me unfailingly on this long and strange trip, and to Georgia and Ben, your patience and your love make everything possible.