‘Comme un souci aux rayons du soleil’: Ronsard et l’invention d’une poétique de la merveille (1550–1556) by Véronique Denizot (review)
2004; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 99; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/mlr.2004.a826834
ISSN2222-4319
Autores Tópico(s)Renaissance Literature and Culture
ResumoMLRy 99.4, 2004 1047 name alludes to a pioneering printer in Rome, Ulrich Han, alias Udalricus Gallus . According to Geonget, Rabelais's allusion claims Han as French, against Jakob Wimpfeling, who had claimed emphatically that he was German. Given the prestige of early printers, Geonget's suggestion warrants consideration. Finally, Damien Dard offersa useful 'Index des ceuvres de Rabelais dans les quarante premiers volumes des etudes rabelaisiennes'. Overall, this volume is a worthy addition to the series. University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Ian R. Morrison 'Comme un souci aux rayons du soleil': Ronsard et I'invention d'une poetique de la merveille {1550-1556). By Veronique Denizot. (Travaux d'Humanisme et Renaissance, 373: Etudes Ronsardiennes, 9) Geneva: Droz. 2003. 352 pp. SwF 124.90; ?84.61. ISBN 2-600-00852-7. In the title quotation from a sonnet of the Premier livre des amours Ronsard takes advantage of the two meanings of 'souci' to link the lover-poet's torment with the obsessive way his gaze follows his unattainable beloved, just as the heliotropic flower constantly turns to the sun. The image ofthe sunflower had long been fruitfullyassoci? ated with myth,metamorphosis, and natural marvels, but as it is not a dominant figure in Ronsard's ceuvre, it does not seem an ideal choice to represent his creative stance. Although the word 'souci' occurs frequently,generally it simply evokes suffering,with no apparent allusion to the flower,nor any involvement of the marvellous. However, Veronique Denizot reads the poetry in the light of the image, characterizing the flower as a 'merveille', a polysemic term then used to define Ronsard's poetic. She concen? trates on the Odes, the early books of the Amours, and the Hymnes. The firstchapter examines the notion of the 'wonderful', which appeals not to the reason but primarily to the senses or emotions, provokingcuriosity and admiration. It then investigates the adoption by poetry of the devices of demonstrative rhetoric, discusses classical and humanist treatises on poetry, and finallylooks at how Ronsard's French predecessors saw the poet's role. The main body ofthe book studies Ronsard's early collections in three chapters, each on a differentaspect of Temerveillement'. These are designed to demonstrate that admiration (expressed and sought) is the cornerstone of the poet's relationship with words, with his readers, and with the world. Denizot shows how the three selected genres treat encomiastic verse in their own ways. Classical influ? ences are analysed, in particular those of Pindar and Horace. Ronsard's concern to shape the response of his readers by means of his versification, enargeia, and reflexive imagery is considered next. The discussion of these images, well known as they are, nevertheless provides a useful overview. The inspiration of the Muses and Bacchus and the function of fables are the subjects of the final chapter. Ronsard's later work is surveyed sketchily and rather superfluously in the conclusion. Denizot stretches the terms 'merveille' and 'emerveillement' widely, so that the former includes not only what surprises but anything wonderfully splendid or rare, while the latter is said to be potentially provoked by almost any type of material from love to science, from ethics to politics. This leads to some loss of focus and conviction at times. While classical and Renaissance writings on admiratio are thoroughly studied, it is surprising that so little mention is made of modern theories of the marvellous. However, valid points are made, with careful readings and perceptive comparisons of texts. The copious Latin (and occasionally Greek) quotations are translated in the footnotes. Lancaster University Elizabeth Vinestock ...
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