Practice and Knowledge in a Medieval Livre de Raison

Abstract

This essay explores the late medieval livre de raison of Pierre Esperon, a small land-owner and legal professional from Limousin. It provides a comprehensive picture of Esperon’s lifeworld, examining his socio-economic practices and cultural outlook. It foregrounds questions about individual agency, e.g., about one’s strategies and sense of effectiveness in the world. The analysis of a memorandum written down in the livre de raison shows that the livres de raison, traditionally seen as relevant for the history of the family, could function as the locus of a discourse about the self. By comparing Esperon’s socio-economic agency with his sense of personhood, the essay illustrates the usefulness of approaching issues of subjectivity and agency in conjunction. It investigates Esperon’s conceptions about human and non-human agency, and concludes by assessing the relevance of this case study for our understanding of late medieval society, particularly in view of the renewed interest in early modernities.