Webs of Allusion: French Protestant Emblem Books of the Sixteenth Century by Alison Adams (review)

Abstract

MLRy 100.3, 2005 811 tool that should find its place in the reference section of any library holding early modern books, and no doubt also on the shelves of many individual scholars. University of Durham Jennifer Britnell WebsofAllusion: French Protestant Emblem Books ofthe Sixteenth Century. By Alison Adams. (Travaux d'Humanisme et Renaissance, 378) Geneva: Droz. 2003. x + 324 pp. SwF 92.20; ?62.42. ISBN 2-600-00874-8. Well researched and demonstrating an extraordinary wealth of knowledge, Alison Adams's book is a substantial addition to the existing literature on the subject of emblems, and offers a virtuoso display of interpretative skill in the deciphering of complex emblems built upon 'webs' of biblical and classical references beyond the grasp of the majority of today's readership. Adams peels back layers of meaning through her identification and interpretation of quotations from ancient sources, while taking pains to situate each book not only within the oeuvre of the particular author but also within the historical, social, and religious context of sixteenth-century Europe. The Protestant emblem books of Georgette De Montenay, Theodore de Beze, Jean Jacques Boissard, and Paul Perrot De la Salle provide the focus for individual chap? ters. Although not strictlyan emblematic work, Perrot's Tableaus sacrez of 1594 serves as a valid point of comparison, and Adams's discussion of his religious sympathies is originally worked. A particular emphasis is placed on the thematic organization of collections. Although this often results in artificial divisions, a fact acknowledged by Adams, it is also a useful tool for highlighting the driving moral forces and attitudes behind each work. This gives the reader an overview that is often tightlybound thematically with the religious convictions of the sixteenth-century author. Protestant, or more specifically Calvinist, beliefs expressed in emblem books, either openly or tacitly,are a central feature of Adams's investigation and her discussion stresses antiCatholic sentiment and the frequent fusion of classical and biblical sources. While focusing on the original French or Latin version of each work, Adams also explores sixteenth- and seventeenth-century translations. These inform our inter? pretation ofthe original through their faithfulness or otherwise to the principal text, as well as through the stylistic and linguistic techniques employed by the translator. As a result, new light is shed on the reception and comprehension of emblematic works at differentperiods in history. The various rhetorical strategies employed in these translations are emphasized by Adams, who constantly highlights links between texts, weaving for the reader a network of connections between the collections she discusses. Though it could occasionally have benefited from a more vibrant style, Webs ofAl? lusion successfully establishes a delicate and necessary balance between an overview of the content of each work and a detailed analysis of individual emblems. Overinterpretation is carefully avoided and the result is a convincing examination of the complexities ofthe sixteenth-century emblem book that constantly stresses the vari? able relationship between motto, subscriptio, and pictura and emphasizes the wide diversity of approaches to the composition of emblems during the period. St John's College, Cambridge Sophia Pickford ...