Max Engammare , Marie-Madeleine Fragonard , Augustin Redondo , Saverio Ricci (review)

Abstract

496 Reviews L'Etude de la Renaissance nunc et cras: actes du colloque de la Federationlnternationale des Societes et Instituts d'Etude de la Renaissance (FISIER), Geneve, septembre 2001. Ed. by Max Engammare, Marie-Madeleine Fragonard, Augustin Redondo, and Saverio Ricci. (Travaux d'Humanisme et Renaissance, 381) Geneva: Droz. 2003. 395 pp. SwF 94.20; ?63.81. ISBN 2-600-00863-2. This set of conference papers, from what is surely a pre-eminent group of Renais? sance specialists, starts from the premiss that 'il etait necessaire de faire le point sur nos travaux et d'envisager l'avenir de nos recherches afin de leur donner une autre dimension et une nouvelle dynamique' (p. 7). The twenty-fivepapers turn around five major thematic areas. The firstpart, 'Faire des recherches sur la Renaissance apres l'an 2000' (pp. 9-53), is the most concretely based, offering Gerald Chaix's item on 'La formation des chercheurs' and Keith Cameron's on 'Relations with Institutions', but also the superb, though not always optimistic, perspective of Michel Jeanneret's 'La Renaissance et sa litterature: le probleme des marges', stressing the need for an interdisciplinary input into Renaissance literary studies. The second part, 'Fonds, instruments, savoirs' (pp. 55-128), is more nunc than cras: the literature specialist will findof especial interest the items by Frank Lestringant, 'Historiens de la litterature', a sometimes polemical overview of present-day critical practices but always highlighting the wealth of research activity,and by Anthony Grafton, 'Renaissance Research Today: Forms and Styles', pointing to a debunking tendency but noting that 'literary historians seem to lament the disappearance from the earth ofthe great bold intellec? tual dinosaurs that once stalked it' (p. 68). In Part m, 'Cultures et modeles culturels' (pp. 129-95), items include Ann Moss, 'New Ways of Looking at Texts', on reading methodologies, and Eva Kushner on 'Sociabilite et ecriture', focusing largely on the dialogue and dialogue studies. Jean Ceard introduces Part iv, 'Croyances: adhesions et dissensions' (pp. 197-323), with a rich and stimulating paper, concluding?and this is no small thing?on the 'otherness' of our period. Among other papers, Andre Seguenny and Nicola Panichi consider transference of ideas between religions, on the one hand, and philosophies, on the other. Fernand Hallyn, in his 'Conventions du discours ? modalites d'analyse ? filtres', looks at the name given to our period, proposes lines of research on its 'mentalite', and enters a caveat about present-day interpretations of the latter. The last part, 'Quels types d'histoire pour l'avenir?' (pp. 325-72), contains an almost lyrical essay by Giuseppe Galasso ('Geneve'), an examination by Olivier Christin of the complex relationship between developments in art and confessional identity ('Les modeles'), and Jean Dupebe's analysis of trends in the historiography of the Renaissance, with a particular emphasis on treatment of the occult sciences ('Les types d'analyse'). This is merely a glimpse of the riches contained in this volume. Let us note, finally,that each contribution concludes with its own full bibliography, and that the index rerum is itself a useful research tool. University of Wales, Lampeter Trevor Peach L'Exercice de Vdme vertueuse. By Marie Le Gendre. Ed. by Colette H. Winn. (Textes de la Renaissance, 38) Paris: Champion. 2001. 197 pp. ISBN 2-74530460 -7. Cabinet des saines affections. Attributed to Madeleine De L'Aubespine. Ed. by Co? lette H. Winn. (Textes de la Renaissance, 39) Paris: Champion. 2001. 133 pp. ISBN 2-7453-0461-5. These two editions of late sixteenth-century texts, forming part of Champion's ex? tremely useful Textes de la Renaissance series, are, like their companions, very wel? come and significant additions to the French Renaissance Studies corpus. It is fitting ...