Alan Howe (review)

Abstract

210 Reviews is one of degeneracy in Anglo-Norman, it is not surprising to discover an extravagant fluidityof gender and a great wafHing of cases in vestiges of the cas regimeand cas sujet, not to mention the occasional 'ambivalence between preterite and present forms' (p. 280, on 1. 885) of verbs. It helps to remember that diphthong reduction is a prevailing characteristic of Anglo-Norman. Recognizing modern French equivalents in such words as reddur (raideur) and leu or lu (lieu) speeds up the reading. The editorial addition of acute accents when the plural s is missing (i.e. de for des and le for les, ete.) and for prepositions derived from apud (i.e. ove for avec) is very helpful. Finally, knowledge not only of Anglo-Norman but also of Latin is almost essential for comprehension, since some acceptable Anglo-Normanisms like launge (langue) may be clarified only by the Latin equivalent in an endnote (e.g. quas gladio linguae necat, p. 289, on 1. 3471). The Glossary itself comprises a substantial 32 pages with crossreferences to notes. The endnotes are usually ofa linguistic nature. Since there are no indications of notes embedded in the text itself, it is recommended to read ahead in the endnotes to be prepared for difficultpassages in advance. While the commentary on the Life is minimalist, the critical apparatus is easily consulted, compact, and clear. University of Toronto K. Janet Ritch Archives nationales: documents du Minutier Central des notaires de Paris. Le theatre professionnel a Paris i6oo-i64g. Etude par Alan Howe. Documents analyses par Madeleine Jurgens et Alan Howe. Transcriptions par Andree Chauleur et Pierre-Yves Louis. Paris: Centre historique des Archives nationales. 2000. xvi + 453pp. ?32. ISBN 2-86000-284-7. This trulyimportant book brings to our attention forthe firsttime over three hundred legal documents relating to theatrical activity in Paris in the firsthalf of the seven? teenth century. Alan Howe thereby completes and in some cases corrects the seminal works of such eminent professors as Madeleine Jurgens and S. Wilma DeierkaufHolsboer , to whom he acknowledges his indebtedness. The firstpart of the volume consists of a remarkably thorough analysis of these documents in relation to our pre? vious state of knowledge. The wealth of information they contain is breathtaking. The identities of previously unknown actors (and actresses) are revealed, and additions and corrections are made to the biographies of many who are already familiar or even famous. New troupes are discovered and new light is shed on the relations between troupes and the troupes' dealings both with the proprietors of the theatres they rented, not least the Confrerie de la Passion, and with other theatre workers, including musicians and stage designers. New theatrical locations are revealed, and precious new information provided on theatre construction. And finally,evidence is produced as to the presence of hitherto unsuspected foreign troupes in Paris, both English and ltalian. The second part contains summaries of the 458 documents on which this analysis is based, and the volume concludes with the reproduction in full of the twenty documents considered to be the most important. My only criticism would be that Howe's analysis is a little difficultto follow in places due to the very wealth of information it contains, but that unfortunately is the nature of the beast, as any devotee of Deierkauf-Holsboer can attest. This, though, is compensated for by the comprehensive bibliography, which makes this admirable volume an essential research tool for any student of seventeenth-century French theatre history. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that, following the publication of this work, history will have to be rewritten, and, in the firstinstance, it is to be hoped that some brave soul will MLR, ioo.i, 2005 211 undertake the revision of Mongredien and Robert's Dictionnaire biographique to take on board all this fascinating new material. University of Durham Jan Clarke Six discours sur les miracles de Notre Sauveur: deux traductionsmanuscrites du XVIIF siecle dont une de Mme Du Chdtelet. By Thomas Woolston. Ed. by William Trapnell. Paris: Champion. 2001. 394 pp. ?63. ISBN 2-7453-0504-2. This volume is a further fascinating addition to our knowledge of the clandestine manuscripts that circulated...