Marguerite de Navarre: A Critical Companion

A new exploration of Marguerite de Navarre's writings offers insights into the complexities and resolutions of her historical period, reflecting the turbulence, uncertainties, and assurances of the Renaissance. The Heptameron, a response to Boccaccio's Decameron, explores love, desire, honor, and the iniquity of Franciscan monks. Marguerite's work reflects the debates and conflicts of her time, exploring gender relations, love, and religious faith. This book presents her writings in the context of intellectual, religious, and political questions of the sixteenth century, offering new readings and a guide to the critical tradition.

Format: Hardback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 08 April 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Marguerite de Navarre, a Renaissance princess, diplomat, and mystical poet, left an indelible mark on the literary world with her remarkable contributions. She is best known for her masterpiece, The Heptameron, a response to Boccaccio's Decameron, a collection of captivating short stories told by a group of men and women confined in a monastery. These stories delve into the depths of love, desire, male and female honor, individual salvation, and the injustices of Franciscan monks. The discussions between the storytellers, enacted and embodied the tensions, ideologies, and prejudices underlying the narratives.

Marguerite herself was deeply immersed in the debates and conflicts of her time. Her work reflects the tumultuous, uncertain, and reassuring aspects of her historical period, as the Renaissance reimagined the past and the Reformation reshaped the church. It serves as a testament to her unique and sometimes provocative perspective on these critical issues.

In this book, we present The Heptameron and its profound investigations into gender relations, the nature of love, and the essence of religious faith within the context of the intellectual, religious, and political debates of the sixteenth century. By placing it alongside Marguerite's other writings, including her poetry, plays, and diplomatic letters, we explore the intricacies and resolutions of her writing and her world. Through chapters on communities, religion, politics, gender relationships, desire, and literary technique, we aim to provide a comprehensive guide to the critical tradition on Marguerite's work while offering fresh readings that reveal both the historical specificity of her writing and its enduring relevance.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781843846260