Narcissism and Selfhood in Medieval French Literature: Wounds of Desire PDF
Preview Narcissism and Selfhood in Medieval French Literature: Wounds of Desire
THE NEW MIDDLE AGES Narcissism and Selfhood in Medieval French Literature Wounds of Desire Nicholas Ealy The New Middle Ages Series Editor Bonnie Wheeler English and Medieval Studies Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX, USA The New Middle Ages is a series dedicated to pluridisciplinary studies of medieval cultures, with particular emphasis on recuperating women’s history and on feminist and gender analyses. This peer-reviewed series includes both scholarly monographs and essay collections. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14239 Nicholas Ealy Narcissism and Selfhood in Medieval French Literature Wounds of Desire Nicholas Ealy University of Hartford West Hartford, CT, USA The New Middle Ages ISBN 978-3-030-27915-8 ISBN 978-3-030-27916-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27916-5 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland A cknowledgments The seeds of this project were planted in a graduate seminar I took at Emory University with Claire Nouvet. It is here I was introduced to the myth of Narcissus, a tale whose complexity has not ceased fascinating and challenging me. I will always be grateful to Claire, whose instruction pushed me to question and explore the endless puzzles this myth and its legacy pose regarding the human condition. Special thanks also go to Lori Walters, whose graduate seminars at Florida State University cultivated my love for medieval literature. It is with her I first read some of the texts that shape the argument for this book. I must also thank those teachers of mine who served as mentors, for their instruction continues to influence my teaching and scholarship: Cathy Caruth, William Cloonan, Jean Dangler, Raymond Fleming, Michael Gerli, Jean Graham-Jones, Mark Jordan, Dalia Judovitz, and Elissa Marder. Jennifer Heneghan-Paquette and Iliana Mankin, both of whom are unfortunately no longer with us, deserve rec- ognition for instilling within me a lifelong passion for languages. While writing this book, many friends lent their support along the way. Primary thanks go to Karen Tejada-Peña and Sarah Senk, my two academic spouses, who read and commented upon parts of this manu- script while letting me talk through my ideas in countless conversations. I am also grateful to Aimee Pozorski for her comments on drafts of the last two chapters and to Stéphanie Boulard and Jenny Davis Barnett for their help with some of the translations contained herein. Additionally, I hold dear those friends who have lent their support at various times throughout this project: Geillan Aly, Jeff Blanchette, Lauren Cook, Deidra Donmoyer, Cyril Ghosh, Cécile Guillaume-Pey, Kasturi Gupta, Carmen v vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Hernández- Ojeda, Erica Hughes, Lillian Kamal, Robert Lang, Kate McGrath, Kenny Nienhusser, Zee Onuf, T Stores, Elizabeth Trelenberg, Charles Twombly, and Paul Watt. I also must recognize my friend Juanita Garciagodoy, taken from this world too soon—her words of advice and encouragement live on within me, continuing to direct me in my scholarly endeavors. I thank my students at the University of Hartford, Wesleyan College, and Emory University, from whom I have learned so much through many discussions. I thank my colleagues in the Department of English and Modern Languages at the University of Hartford for creating such a friendly work environment and for the opportunity to teach the English Capstone on “Love and Illness” in 2017, where I was able to discuss with those students many of the issues raised in this book. I thank the University of Hartford, which granted me a sabbatical in Spring 2015, during which some of this project was completed. I am grateful to the editorial staff at Palgrave for supporting this project from the start and to my anonymous reviewer there, thanks to whom this is now a stronger book. Parts of Chap. 4 have appeared in Fifteenth- Century Studies as my article “The Poet at the Mirror: René d’Anjou and Authorial Doubling in the Livre du Cœur d’Amour épris.” I thank Camden House for the permission to use it here. I also thank the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek for per- mission to use images from their collections. I thank my siblings, through biology and marriage, Taisia, Bill, Gregory, and Miho, for their encouragement, as well as my four beautiful nieces, Hannah, Emma, Nino, and Mila, who have brought endless joy to my life. Finally, I cannot express enough love and gratitude to my parents, John and Barbara, for their constant support and for always giving me a place to call home. I dedicate this book to you. c ontents Part I Narcissism and Selfhood in Context 1 1 Introduction: Narcissus and the Wounded Self 3 2 Narcissus and Selfhood: The Lay of Narcissus 25 Part II Selfhood and the Open Wound 57 3 Narcissus and Mourning: Alain de Lille’s Plaint of Nature 59 4 Narcissus and Melancholy: René d’Anjou’s Book of the Love-Smitten Heart 103 Part III The Wounded Self as Witness 131 5 Narcissus and Trauma: Chrétien de Troyes’s Story of the Grail 133 vii viii CONTENTS 6 Narcissus and Testimony: Guillaume de Machaut’s Fountain of Love 181 7 Epilogue: Between Je me plaing and Iste ego sum 225 Index 233 l f ist of igures Fig. 4.1 Love delivers René’s heart to Desire. Codex Vindobonensis 2597, folio 2. Vienna: Österreischische Nationalbibliothek 108 Fig. 4.2 Heart at the Fountain of Fortune. Codex Vindobonensis 2597, folio 15. Vienna: Österreischische Nationalbibliothek 120 Fig. 4.3 Heart at the Diamond Mirror. Ms. fr. 24399, folio 103. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France 123 ix
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