Dynamique d’une expansion culturelle: Pétrarque en Europe XIVe–XXe siècle. Actes du XXVIe congrès international du CEFI, Turin et Chambéry, 11–15 décembre 1995 ed. by Pierre Blanc (review)

Abstract

212 Reviews which appeared in 1998. This chronological span is also traversed, and perhaps predated , by the oral contes, the dates of which remain ambiguous. The geographical origins of the contes in question are equally diverse. They extend from Scandinavia to Mauritius, from the Antilles to mainland France, with many other countries re? presented, and a particular emphasis on the study of 'les contes malgaches'. The contributors to the volume represent a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary ap? proaches to the study ofthe conte,drawing on anthropology, ethnography, linguistics, and literary analysis. The anthropological or ethnographic approach of several con? tributors offersinsight into the philosophies of hospitality held by differentcultures as they are reflected in the contes. The insights afforded by these studies of the philosophies and practices of hos? pitality in differentcultures and contexts allow a number of contributors to engage with issues of a wider pertinence. In particular, the figure of '1'Autre' or Tetranger', essential recipient of the hospitality or inhospitality represented in the contes, is the subject ofseveral articles. Jean-PierreTardieu(pp. 129-36) studies the representation of Thomme noir' and 'la femme noire' in two seventeenth-century Spanish contes, and in a contemporary context Dominique Bertrand (pp. 53-68) reads allusions to the Western colonizer in Patrick Chamoiseau's Emerveilles. Considering the theme of Madagascan hospitality in the contemporary context of '1'invasion des immigres', Clement Sambo (pp. 153-62) concludes that les contes relate an ideal world, and that in order to understand them we must consider 'la realite sociale'. In all its diversity, this volume demonstrates that the essential qualities of le conte are largely invariable, but these studies of the theme of hospitality reveal that les contes consistently reflect the reality of their context. The volume thus represents a contribution not only to the study of the conte in a literary or linguistic context, but in a wider discussion of the implications of the anthropological and ethnographic insights they offer. University of Liverpool Stefanie Cadenhead Dynamique d'une expansion culturelle: Petrarque en Europe xive-xxe siecle. Actes du xxvf congres international du CEFI, Turin et Chambery, 11-15 decembre 1995. Ed. by Pierre Blanc. Paris: Champion. 2001. 767 pp. SwF 200. ISBN 27453 -0363-5. This substantial volume, containing forty-eight articles in French, ltalian, English, and Portuguese, is an important contribution to the study of Petrarch's reception and influence. Thanks to thoughtful thematic organization, the collected papers offer much more than can often be expected from volumes of conference proceedings. The unifying theme of the volume is set out by the editor in his introductory essay, 'La tradition petrarquiste. Enjeux et modalites d'une expansion culturelle'. He surveys the many manifestations of one of the most enduring literary traditions in European thought, and gives a useful historical overview ofthe waves of Petrarchism (and antiPetrarchism ) which have periodically washed over Europe. The essays themselves are organized into four parts. Part I, 'Problematique', dis? cusses key concepts relative to the 'dynamique Petrarque'. Klaus W. Hempfer and Marziano Guglielminetti survey the historical understanding ofthe concepts of 'Petrarchismo ' and 'Antipetrarchismo'; William J.Kennedy considers the question ofthe authorization of Petrarch, while Dina De Rentiis discusses his role in the history of imitatio auctorum. Part II, 'Economie des transfertsculturels petrarquistes: vecteurs, modes, effets', presents some material manifestations of Petrarchism in fifteenth-to seventeenth-century France. Jean Balsamo analyses some early editions in French collections, Angelica Rieger describes iconographical representations of the poet, and MLRy 99.1, 2004 213 Pierre Bonniffet considers the transformation of the sonnet 'O passi sparsi' into a polyphonic chanson. Part III, 'Travail des interactions culturelles. Dans l'atelier des Petrarquistes: operateurs, activites, produits', is by farthe largest section ofthe book, comprising twenty-nine articles divided into five sections. Section A, 'Interactions culturelles directes', firstpresents Petrarch's reception by other authors: Philippe de Vitry (Philippe Morant), Christine de Pizan (Lori Walters), Pietro Bembo (Natalia Kardanova), and Serafino Aquilano (Ingrid Rowland). Other papers consider Pet? rarch's sfortuna in Piedmont in the Cinque and Seicento (Gianni Mombello), and Manuzio's editorial considerations in his 1514 edition ofthe Canzoniere (Alessandro Pancheri). Section B, 'Interactions litteraires plurilinguistiques', discusses aspects of the reception of Petrarch beyond...