Two Old French Satires on the power of the Keys: L'Escommeniement au Lecheor and Le Pardon de Foutre (Legenda, Research Monographs in French Studies) (Legenda, Research Monographs in French Studies)

The thirteenth-century French comic dits of Les Escommeniemanz au lecheor and Le Pardon de foutre are two of the earliest vernacular texts to articulate anticlerical satire against the abuse of excommunications and indulgences. In Les Escommeniemanz, a relentless series of excommunications is promulgated against a broad range of social groups accused of activities ranging from the illegal and the immoral, through the socially disruptive, to the profoundly nonsensical and obscene, while in Le Pardon, a cardinal freshly arrived from Rome offers indulgences to groups whose shocking alleged sexual incontinence appears scarcely to merit pardon. Burrows' new edition of two hitherto unedited poems so important to the understanding of lay attitudes towards ecclesiastical authority in thirteenth-century France is complemented by an English translation and a detailed commentary on the texts' literary, linguistic, codicological, ideological, and socio-historical content and context. "These thirteenth-century French comic texts, L'Escommeniement au lecheor and Le Pardon de foutre, are two of the earliest satires on the Church's power to 'loosen and bind', symbolised by St. Peter's keys. In L'Escommeniement, excommunications are relentlessly fired out against various social groups accused of activities ranging from the illegal and the immoral to the nonsensical and obscene. In Le Pardon, a cardinal freshly arrived from Rome proffers absolutions and indulgences to a number of groups whose graphically alleged sexual incontinence would appear to merit anything but pardon. These hitherto unedited poems are complemented by an English translation, glossary and commentary."--BOOK JACKET These thirteenth-century French comic texts, L'Escommeniement au lecheor and Le Pardon de foutre, are two of the earliest satires on the Church's power to 'loosen and bind', symbolised by St Peter's keys. In L'Escommeniement, excommunications are relentlessly launched against various social groups accused of activities ranging from the illegal and the immoral to the nonsensical and obscene. In Le Pardon, a cardinal freshly arrived from Rome proffers absolutions and indulgences to a number of groups whose graphically alleged sexual incontinence would appear to merit anything but pardon. These hitherto unedited poems are complemented by an English translation, glossary and commentary. Edition And Translation Of L'escommeniement -- Edition And Translation Of Le Pardon De Foutre. Edited And Translated By Daron Burrows. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [135]-142) And Index. Translated From The French. xii, 145 pages ; 22 cm Includes bibliographical references (p. [135]-142) and index Edition and translation of L'escommeniement -- Edition and translation of Le pardon de foutre A new text, translation and commentary on two 13th century French texts satirising abuses of Church authority.