Literary Representations of Rivalry Between France and Spain in the French Renaissance (1530-1560) [thesis]

171 Pages·2014·2.87 MB·English

by  Valerie Aguilar

LITERARY REPRESENTATIONS OF RIVALRY BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN
IN THE FRENCH RENAISSANCE (1530-1560)

Valerie Aguilar

A DISSERTATION
PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY
OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE
OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
FRENCH AND ITALIAN

Adviser: Dr. François Rigolot

JUNE 2014
UMI Number: 3626344
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Abstract

Literary criticism of French Renaissance literature widely considers how
prominent Greek, Roman, and Italian intertexts and allusions are present in, shaped, and
contributed to the development of works of French Renaissance prose and poetry. The
influence of Spain and Spanish literature, however, has been the focus of relatively little
research. This dissertation proposes that the political rivalry between France and Spain
under the reigns of Francis I and Charles V spurred literary productivity and thus must
also be considered an important factor in the development and study of some major texts
printed in the French language, particularly after 1519 when Charles V was elected Holy
Roman Emperor. This election incited the French, among other major kingdoms, to
balance Charles’ growing empire and influence not only through warfare but also through
literary representations that challenged his legitimacy, actions, authority, and supremacy.
Chapter One is a rereading of François Rabelais’ prose novel Gargantua (1534,
1535) with its adversarial character Pichrocole as a French parody of Emperor Charles V.
Chapter Two analyzes the French prologue to Herberay Des Essarts’ French
translation/adaptation Amadis de Gaule (1540) after the Spanish version Amadís de
Gaula (1496?) by Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo. The French prologue is analyzed as a
liminal text, an opening signal, for its direct discourse rivaling the Spanish text, and the
work in itself is an example of emulation. Chapter Three studies the symbols
representing Charles V and Francis I in the court poetry of Clément Marot’s Oeuvres
(1538, 1543) and in Maurice Scève’s Délie: Objet de plus haute vertu (1544). These
works of poetry are analyzed together to suggest a reading that considers how lyric poetry
iii
can be read as a political tool. Finally, Chapter Four is a reading of Joachim Du Bellay’s
Songe (1558) as a backward glance and criticism of Charles V’s imperialism and
heightened rivalry with France under Francis I.

iv
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my adviser Professor François Rigolot for his guidance and support
from the earliest stages of this project. I am especially grateful for his recent, two-volume
edition of Clément Marot’s Œuvres Complètes without which much of my writing and
research would not have been possible with depth and clarity of context. The erudition of
his notes at the end of each volume, as well as the individual footnotes and bibliography,
were of immense help to me. I am also indebted to his vast scholarship on François
Rabelais, which has been an essential part of my research. It is also thanks to him that I
discovered the French Amadis de Gaule by Herberay Des Essarts, and the Spanish
Amadís de Gaula by Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo; which he recommended that I read
since I am bilingual and have a deep appreciation of both languages. I have also been
fortunate enough to learn from him in his class seminars, in which I explored the poetry
of Joachim Du Bellay and the prose of Rabelais, and attended inspiring lectures given by
him on a wide array of Renaissance topics since my arrival at Princeton in September
2006. I am thankful for the time he has spent with me discussing my ideas, for the many
letters of support and recommendation that he has written for me and for generously
commenting on each chapter draft along the way.
I thank Professor Chenoweth for discussing my dissertation project with me, for
her generosity, availability, and time. I thank her for reading my chapter drafts and
offering suggestions based on her expertise and knowledge of literature of the French
Renaissance.
I would also like to thank Professor Schröder who has also supported me with
guidance, encouragement, and recommendations during my time in the department. For
teaching me how to teach, for their guidance, and for help with teaching materials while I
have been in the dissertation writing process, I’d like to also thank Professor Christine
Sagnier, and the Heads of Course that I have worked with in the Department of French
and Italian: Murielle Perrier, Anne Ambrogelly, Anne-Catherine Aubert, and Rachel
Hart. I am also grateful for the administrative support of RuthAnne Lavis, Kathleen
Allen, Ronnie Pardo, and Crystal Arrington.
For perspective on the Spanish-side of my project, I would like to thank Professor
Ronald Surtz with whom I took a graduate seminar in Spanish on Golden Age Poetry,
and Professor Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel with whom I studied Colonial Spanish
American Literature in Spanish while she was a visiting professor in the Department of
Spanish and Portuguese at Princeton in 2009. Thank you also to Professor Marina
Brownlee for leading the Renaissance Studies Colloquium series which I have greatly
benefited and learned from during my time at Princeton. Special thanks to Bety, Laura,
Dean, Phil, and Scott for their unconditional support and friendship. I thank Louis and
v
JoAnn for their teaching and mentorship at the University of Notre Dame during my
undergraduate years there.

vi
I dedicate this work with gratitude to my parents,
Alondra and Ignacio,
to my brother, Chris,
and to my grandmothers, Thaís and Catalina.
And as unconventional as it might be, I also thank God.

vii
+Table of contents+

Abstract…………...………………………………………………………….……….iii-iv
Acknowledgements……...……………………………………………………………v-vii
Introduction……………….…..……………………………….………………….….......1
Chapter 1. “Representations of Political Rivalry in Rabelais’ Gargantua
(1535)”………………………………………………………..…………………….....…17
Chapter 2. “Linguistic and cultural rivalry in literary discourse: the French
Amadis de Gaule (1540).”…………………..........................................…….…………...43

Chapter 3. “Lyric poetry as Political Tool: Clément Marot’s Œuvres
(1538-1543) and Maurice Scève’s Délie (1544)”…………………...……......................85

Chapter 4. “Oracular Visions and Patriotic Commitment in Joachim
Du Bellay’s Songe (1558)”..................................................................................... ……123

Conclusion……………………………………………………………...……...………150
Bibliography……………………………………………………………...………...….157
Introduction
This project is a study of how French and Spanish rivalry was represented during
the early sixteenth century in a few important texts of French Renaissance literature. The
chapter progression aims to be both chronological and varied in genre. Chapter One is a
rereading of François Rabelais’ prose novel Gargantua (1534, 1535) with its adversarial
character Pichrocole as a French parody of Emperor Charles V. Chapter Two analyzes
the French prologue to Herberay Des Essarts’ French translation/adaptation Amadis de
Gaul (1540) after the Spanish version Amadís de Gaula (1496?) by Garci Rodriguez de
Montalvo. The French prologue is analyzed as a liminal text, an opening signal, for its
direct discourse rivaling the Spanish text, and the work in itself is an example in
emulation. Chapter Three studies the symbols representing Charles V and Francis I in
the court poetry of Clément Marot’s Œuvres (1538, 1543) and in Maurice Scève’s Délie:
Objet de plus haute vertu (1544). These works of poetry are analyzed together to suggest
a reading that considers how lyric poetry can be read as a political tool. Finally, Chapter
Four is a reading of Joachim Du Bellay’s Songe (1558) as a backward glance and
criticism of Charles V’s imperialism and heightened rivalry with France under Francis I.
The scope of this dissertation includes only some of the most prolific and well-
known French Renaissance authors who were writing their work and having it printed
between the years 1530 and 1560. The driving question behind the research in this
dissertation is: how was French and Spanish rivalry, particularly the one dramatically
played out between Francis I and Charles V, represented in the literature of Renaissance
France? Francis I reigned as king of France during the years 1515-1547 and Charles V
1