This book investigates how the figure of St. Francis of Assisi was appropriated and transformed within English cultural memory to shape national identity between the medieval period and the Gothic revival. David Salter, a scholar of medieval literature and culture, examines the intersection of Franciscan ideology and English social consciousness. By analyzing a wide range of texts and historical artifacts, he argues that the Franciscan presence in England served as a flexible framework for negotiating religious, political, and nationalistic tensions over several centuries.

Scholars in the field of medieval studies and cultural history recognize this work as a rigorous examination of the malleability of religious icons in national discourse. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive look at the evolution of Franciscan influence in England.