1st Edition

The Sixteenth-Century French Religious Book

By Andrew Pettegree, Paul Nelles Copyright 2001

    This study comprises the proceedings of a conference held in St Andrews in 1999 which gathered some of the most distinguished historians of the French book. It presents the 16th-century book in a new context and provides the first comprehensive view of this absorbing field. Four major themes are reflected here: the relationship between the manuscript tradition and the printed book; an exploration of the variety of genres that emerged in the 16th century and how they were used; a look at publishing and book-selling strategies and networks, and the ways in which the authorities tried to control these; and a discussion of the way in which confessional literature diverged and converged. The range of specialist knowledge embedded in this study will ensure its appeal to specialists in French history, scholars of the book and of 16th-century French literature, and historians of religion.

    Contents: The 16th-century French religious book project, Andrew Pettegree; Religious drama and the printed book in France during the late 15th and 16th centuries, Graham A. Runnalls; The 16th-century French emblem book as a form of religious literature, Alison M. Saunders; Books of hours, Virginia Reinburg; Religious instruction in the work of Jean Bouchet, Jennifer J. Britnell; Education and works of religious instruction in French, Karin Maag; La naissance de l’historiographie protestante, Jean-François Gilmont; Religion and the State: Joachim du Bellay’s views on the duties of the Most Christian King and his subjects, David Hartley; Jean de l’Espine (c.1505-97): écrire dans un temps de troubles, Bernard Roussel; Satire, dramatic stereotyping and the demonizing of Henry III, Keith Cameron; Henry IV and the press, Michael Wolfe; La réception de l’Édit de Nantes: illusions et désillusions de la ’tolérance’, Olivier Christin; La censure au quotidien: le contrôle de l’imprimerie à Genève, 1560-1600, Ingeborg Jostock; Rewriting Protestant history: printing, censorship by pastors, and the dimensions of dissent among the Huguenots - the La Popelinière case at La Rochelle, 1581-85, Kevin C. Robbins; Three audiences for religious books in 16th-century France, Paul Nelles; A provincial perspective: Protestant print culture in southern France, Philip Conner; A bookseller’s world: the ’inventaire’ of Vincent Réal, Francis Higman with Yann Morvant and Marc Vial; Private library as public danger: the case of Duplessis Mornay, Roger Kuin; Index.

    Biography

    Andrew Pettegree, Paul Nelles

    '... several of the articles are first-rate, original contributions.' H-France Reviews 'Institutions with advanced programs not only in French history, but also in the history of religions or the relationship between the trade in and circulation of ideas will want to own this volume.' Renaissance Quarterly '... the quality of the majority of these contributions is fully reflected in this beautifully produced volume.' English Historical Review 'There are many [...] interesting and useful studies here...' Ecclesiastical History '... an invaluable resource... The collection broadens our knowledge of the contribution of the printed word in 16th-century France.' Huguenot Society Proceedings '... Pettegree offers a useful corrective to past studies... this collection will prove very useful.' Sharp News 'This is a fascinating book, very readable but often very erudite, which builds up a remarkable picture of the complexity of religious writing and thinking in France in the sixteenth century. It is the complexity, whereby religious currents run through works ostensibly secular in subject matter, which provides the challenge for the Book Project whose further development we can only await with keen anticipation.' Bibliothèque d'Humanisme et Renaissance