The Performance of Nobility in Early Modern European Literature (Cambridge Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture, Series Number 33)

This valuable study illuminates the idea of nobility as display, as public performance, in Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature and society. Ranging widely from Castiglione and French courtesy manuals, through Montaigne and Bacon, to the literature of the Grand Siècle, David Posner examines the structures of public identity in the period. He focuses on the developing tensions between, on the one hand, literary or imaginative representations of 'nobility' and, on the other, the increasingly problematic historical position of the nobility themselves. These tensions produce a transformation in the notion of the noble self as a performance, and eventually doom court society and its theatrical mode of self-presentation. Situated at the intersection of rhetorical and historical theories of interpretation, this book contributes significantly to our understanding of the role of literature both in analysing and in shaping social identity. Cover 1 Half-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 Acknowledgments 11 1 Introduction: "The Noble Hart" 13 2 Montaigne and the staging of the self 34 i. Stoic posturing 37 ii. The style of performance 51 iii. "La faccia sua era faccia d'uom giusto": the mask of franchise 61 iv. The grammatical solution 75 3 Mask and error in Francis Bacon 92 4 Noble Romans: Corneille and the theatre of aristocratic revolt 134 i. "La haute image": Le Cid 136 ii. "Je le suis, je veux l'être": Cinna 152 iii. A brief detour via Nicomède 174 iv. Le dernier des Justes: Suréna 183 5 La Bruyère and the end of the theatre of nobility 193 Notes 223 1 INTRODUCTION: "THE NOBLE HART" 223 2 MONTAIGNE AND THE STAGING OF THE SELF 230 3 MASK AND ERROR IN FRANCIS BACON 242 4 NOBLE ROMANS: CORNEILLE AND THE THEATRE OF ARISTOCRATIC REVOLT 249 5 LA BRUYÈRE AND THE END OF THE THEATRE OF NOBILITY 263 Bibliography 270 Index 279 This Study Illuminates The Idea Of Nobility As Display, As Public Performance, In Renaissance And Seventeenth-century Literature And Society. Ranging Widely From Castiglione And French Courtesy Manuals, Through Montaigne And Bacon, To The Literature Of The Grand Siecle, David M. Posner Examines The Structures Of Public Identity In The Period. Situated At The Intersection Of Rhetorical And Historical Theories Of Interpretation, This Book Contributes Significantly To Our Understanding Of The Role Of Literature Both In Analyzing And In Shaping Social Identity.--jacket. 1. Introduction: The Noble Hart -- 2. Montaigne And The Staging Of The Self -- 3. Mask And Error In Francis Bacon -- 4. Noble Romans: Corneille And The Theatre Of Aristocratic Revolt -- 5. La Bruyere And The End Of The Theatre Of Nobility. David M. Posner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

This valuable study illuminates the idea of nobility as display, as public performance, in Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature and society. Through detailed readings of major authors, including Castiglione, Montaigne, Bacon and Corneille, David Posner examines the tensions between literary or imaginative representations of "nobility," and the increasingly problematic historical position of the nobility themselves. Situated at the intersection of rhetorical and historical theories of interpretation, this book contributes significantly to our understanding of how literature can both analyze and shape social identity.

This valuable study illuminates the idea of nobility as display, as public performance, in Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature and society. Through detailed readings of major authors, David Posner examines the tensions between literary or imaginative representations of 'nobility', and the increasingly problematic historical position of the noble classes themselves. Edmund Spenser summed up the aspirations of a class and an age when he described, in the Faerie Queene (I, v, 1, 1-4), the state of mind of the Redcrosse Knight on the eve of a great tournament: The noble hart, that harbours vertuous thought,