Les Comedies bibliques and Helisenne de Crenne: At the Crossroads of Renaissance Humanism and Feminism. (Reviews).

Marguerite de Navarre. Les Comedies bibliques

Eds. Barbara Marczuk, Beata Skrzeszewska and Piotr Tylus. Geneva: Librairie Droz, 2000. 360 pp. Euro 27.81. ISBN: 2-600-00457-2.

Diane S. Wood. Helisenne de Crenne: At the Crossroads of Renaissance Humanism and Feminism

Madison and Teaneck, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2000. 154 PP. $35. ISBN: 0-8386-3856-2.

These two books were published in 2000 and attest to the continuing interest by the scholarly community in French Renaissance women writers. One of these books is a scholarly edition, while the other is a critical study.

Barbara Marczuk has edited the four Comedies bibliques of Marguerite de Navarre, probably written in the late 1530's, around the time that she composed her religious poetry. These plays have never been edited separately, although they were printed in 1547 with the Marguerites, and have been re-printed frequently afterwards with that collection.

Readers of Marguerite's Heptameron are in for a major re-adjustment in their picture of the Queen's interests, as they encounter the Comedies bibliques for the first time. Written in the tradition of medieval mystery or morality, these plays were primarily designed to be instruments of evangelical propaganda. The Bible is the major source for these Nativity plays, which show that Marguerite knew the Old Testament, as well as the New, extremely well. She has obviously taken to heart the lessons of Lefevre and Briconnet that the Bible must be savored and "digested."

In her Introduction, Barbara Marczuk explains the complex theological background to these plays. The editor draws attention to the monologues of the Virgin, as well as to the allegorical significance of many characters, from shepherds to angels. The portrait of the Virgin is awarded special attention, showing that despite much that has been written on the subject, the French Reformation did not eliminate her special role. Mary is shown as a thoughtful reader of the Bible, like Marguerite herself.

The plays themselves are carefully edited, with two sets of notes, one (bottom of the page) listing textual variants, while the other (end of each play) painstakingly tracks down most of the theological references. There are four plays in the collection. The first ("Comedie de la Nativite de Jesus Christ") recounts the story of the Nativity, but goes far beyond the typical Christmas pageant to raise questions about theology, Grace, Redemption, etc. One somewhat humorous section of the play shows Satan's exasperation at his loss of power, including a conversation with the Shepherds, demonstrating that they are active readers of the Bible themselves. Otherwise, the term "comedie" is only used here in the sense of a play -- these compositions are very serious for the most part.

The second play ("Comedie de l'Adoration des Trois Rois a Jesus Christ") treats the story of the Three Kings, but goes far beyond the usual description of gifts, etc., to present speeches by allegorical figures such as "Philosophie," "Tribulation," and "Inspiration." The Three Kings recognize their previous reliance on worldly goods, and are persuaded of the value to be found in Bible reading. All three are converted, through the persuasion of allegorical female figures who explain the hidden significance in most of the well-known stories of the Old Testament. When the Three Kings finally go to Bethlehem, they are welcomed as members of the Elect.

The third and fourth plays continue to present stories from Luke and Matthew, surrounding the birth of Christ. "Comedie des Innocents" concerns Herod and the slaughter of the innocents. Several touching scenes show lamentations by the mothers at the slaughter of their children. There is extensive discussion of salvation, the question of who is to be a member of the elect, and assurance that Herod will not be one of them.

The final play, "Comedie du Desert," shows Mary and Joseph fleeing to the desert with the child. Most of this play is composed of monologues and/or conversations with God, evoking Mary's mystic love. Allegorical female figures explain the meaning of the Bible to Mary, who then repeats these lessons. She predicts the Passion of Christ, and finally she and Joseph set out for Nazareth, while the angels sing praises of God.

The edition is rounded out by a Glossary and Bibliography. Despite the fact that these plays may not appeal to all readers today, they do permit us to plunge into the intellectual climate of their time, and to understand "le coeur religieux du Seizieme Siecle" (50). Marczuk et al. have performed a valuable service.

A quite different book is Diane Wood's critical study of Helisenne's oeuvre, also first printed in the late 1530's. But while Marczuk shows Marguerite's strongest influences to have been biblical, Wood stresses the impact of two secular trends, humanism and feminism, on the work of Helisenne. Diane Wood is well known to Helisenne scholars, and the present volume is a welcome addition to the many essays she has published over the years.

Wood corrects the over-emphasis in Helisenne studies on the Angoisses Douloureuses, Part I. Rather, she focuses on the entire oeuvre, including the less well-known Songe and the translation of the Eneydes. Rather than treating Helisenne's works one at a time, chapter by chapter, Wood has adopted a thematic approach, studying the whole oeuvre as a unit, but examining different aspects as they come up. This approach is original and works well, by and large.

After an Introduction showing the extent to which Helisenne's work has been re-evaluated in the past thirty years, Wood moves on to study the theme of "reading," in her first chapter: both reading by Marguerite Briet herself; in addition to reception of Helisenne's work from the sixteenth century to the present. One useful part of this chapter is the list of the known holdings of Helisenne's library, as well as the "probable" works that she may have known. This list gives us a sense of Helisenne as a broad reader, knowing works which she did not quote directly, in addition to the inevitable Boccaccio, Lemaire, Caviceo, about whose influence much has already been written. The second half of this chapter treats reception of Helisenne's work, and gives a good "etat present" on what we know about reactions to her over the years.

Chapter two considers the problem of the relationship between the historical Marguerite Briet and Helisenne the writer. While early criticism tended to equate the two (particularly in the Angoisses), Wood is one of those who prefers to consider "Helisenne" as a fictional character and authorial persona. This latter theme is further developed in chapter three, which examines the similar plot-lines of the Angoisses and the Epistres, a topic on which Wood has written in the past. Despite the similarities, we are also shown many differences, including the fact that the Epistres present an Helisenne more closely tied to the realities of sixteenth-century life than the isolated character of the Angoisses shut up in her room, and later imprisoned in a tower.

The last two chapters explore the themes announced in the book's title: feminism and humanism. Chapter four treats feminism, and shows Helisenne's reliance on the work of Cornelius Agrippa, as well as the way in which the little-studied Songe presents arguments for the worth of women. Chapter five, "Renaissance Humanist," presents a defense of the highly intertextual nature of Helisenne's work (sometimes accused of plagiarism) and shows that she was more aware of the religious controversies of her time than many scholars have given her credit for. In particular, Wood sees Helisenne to opt for free will over predestination, possibly in an attempt to avoid the anger of the Sorbonne.

Finally, Wood is one of the few scholars to discuss seriously Helisenne's translation of the first four books of the Aeneid, for which there is no modern edition.

We see Helisenne as a humanist at work here. Wood focuses in particular on the centrality of Dido to the translation, as well as on the presence of Dido as an exemplum (positive and negative) throughout all Helisenne's work.

All in all, this study presents a useful "etat present" of how far Helisenne studies have come and also suggests new directions for future research. It is a solid and well-researched volume which should be of interest to generalists and specialists alike.