The New Reynard: Three Satires: Renart le Bestourne, Le Couronnement de Renart, Renart le Nouvel

Three satires from the 13th century, Rutebeuf's Renart le Bestourné, the anonymous Le Couronnement de Renart, and Jacquemart Gielée's Renart le Nouvel, are translated and analyzed. These works, which are savage and highly entertaining, reflect a vision of the world and its descent into corruption and disaster that mirrors our own state of alarm. The Roman de Renart, which featured animal tales, provided an open invitation to scathing satire. Rutebeuf's Renart le Bestourné attacks the mendicant orders and Saint Louis IX of France, while the anonymous Le Couronnement de Renart has the Fox crowned king, establishing a reign of vice. Jacquemart Gielée's Renart le Nouvel, with its sense of apocalypse, ends with the Fox seated in permanent control of the world atop a chocked, unturning Fortune's Wheel. The poem is renowned as the most abundant source of late medieval refrains, and music, in the form of numerous songs, plays an important part in its satirical and apocalyptic message.

Format: Hardback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2023
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

These three satires, written in the second half of the 13th century, are truly unique in their savage and highly entertaining nature. They stand apart from other medieval works, resonating with the prevailing mood of our time in an uncanny way. While they may be rich in entertainment and wickedly comic, they also convey a profound vision of the world and its descent into corruption and disaster, mirroring our own state of alarm.

The Roman de Renart, known as the Romance of Reynard the Fox, was immensely popular during the 12th and 13th centuries. However, the original tales often featured light-hearted satire, leaving room for those with a more scathing satirical bent. It was in this context that the poet Rutebeuf, in his short but startling work Renart le Bestourné, took a bold approach. He employed the beasts, specifically Reynard the Fox, to launch a venomous attack on the mendicant orders and Saint Louis IX of France.

The anonymous Le Couronnement de Renart, which follows Renart le Bestourné, takes the satire to a new level. In this work, Reynard is crowned king, establishing a reign of every vice. The Fox, now in a position of power, revels in his newfound authority, indulging in every sin and debauchery imaginable. This satirical portrayal of a corrupt and immoral king is a stark contrast to the earlier tales and highlights the increasing severity of the satire.

However, it is Jacquemart Gielée's Renart le Nouvel that stands out as the most ambitious of the three satires. Gripped by an increasingly pervasive sense of apocalypse, Gielée's poem ends with the Fox, the epitome of deceit and lying, not merely crowned king, but seated in permanent, malign control of the world atop a chocked, unturning Fortune's Wheel. This apocalyptic vision of the future is a chilling reflection of the times and adds a deeper layer of meaning to the satirical commentary.

The New Reynard is of special interest not only to students of medieval literature but also to those who are interested in the evolution of satire and the role of the animal in literary and cultural traditions. It demonstrates the versatility of satire as a form of artistic expression and the enduring power of the animal as a symbol of human nature and its flaws. These three satires, written in the second half of the 13th century, continue to captivate readers with their sharp wit, biting humor, and profound insights into the human condition.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783277384