Description
Book SynopsisVolery and Venery in the French Wars of Religion is the first book-length study to provide an analysis of literary and cultural texts through the lens of people's perspectives on hunting in the context of the French Wars of Religion. Court poets such as Jodelle and Ronsard highlight the central role of the king in the hunt. The study examines cynegetic scenes and attitudes toward hunting in the works of Sebastian Brant, Erasmus, Rabelais, Jodelle, Ronsard, Ceppède, Montaigne, and Aubigné. An effort is made to relate the artistic representation of the hunt to the details of the hunt presented in the hunting manuals of Du Fouilloux, De Thou, Franchières, and Arcussia, among others. At a time when the monarchy needed to reflect stability and continuity, the figure of the king dominates cynegetic exercise.
Losse argues that hunting remained a major preoccupation in France in spite of the disruptions and violence caused by the Wars of Religion. The analysis examines some b
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments – Introduction – “Devant le Roy”: Burnishing the Monarch’s Image Through the Hunt – Foolish Quarry: Erasmus and Brant – Precocious Hunting: Gargantua, Frère Jean, and Cooperative Living – “C’était un Meleagre au mestier de chasser”: Pierre de Ronsard, Estienne Jodelle, and the Princely Image – The Flight of the Stag: Jean de La Ceppède’s Théorèmes – Writing about the Chase: Chasing Writing in Montaigne’s Essais – Undisciplined Hawks: Aubigné’s Tragiques – Conclusion – Bibliography – Index.
