![]() ![]() Instead of starting with the Ram and his bell at the beginning, we should turn to the end of the procession to see the Hare tolling the church bells at the beginning. Philippe de Vitry: Vos quid admiramini / Gratissima (Musica Nova)Īs part of the images of animals in the marginalia being a vision of the world turned upside down, this funerary procession is also backwards. Kyward the Hare tolling church bells, detail from fol. On the first page of the manuscript we can see not only lavish use of red and black ink but also blue, grey and white ink in the initials and the decoration. These books of prayers for the canonical hours were often lavishly illustrated, and this one is no exception. The book is incomplete and, over time, has been misbound, with sections out of order. 102 was created in England at the end of the 13th century for a now-unknown patron. What’s of interest to us is that his animal associates are all playing musical instruments as they process across the bottom of the pages. In the marginalia of a 13th-century Book of Hours held in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, there’s a procession of Reynard’s friends and enemies going to his funeral. The enemies deliver funeral orations full of insincerity that are then acted upon by the not-so-dead Reynard as he takes his revenge. When his time for trickery is up, one of the standard situations in the stories would be an elaborate funeral, attended by friends and enemies. The situations in the stories are set up such that people reading or hearing them can make parallels with their own lives. Reynard is treated in the tales as though he is human and lives in a world with other talking animals. The stories that came out starting in the 12th century place him in medieval literature as a parody of the courtly love stories. Their first mention comes in the fables of Aesop, in 4 BC, and these are carried forward through the 12th century when the character of Reynard emerges. Sometimes he’s evil, but most often he’s a trickster, known for being cunning, wily, and resourceful. Ellis.The character of the trickster fox is everywhere in folktales from around the world. It was the foundation for most later Dutch, German, and English versions, including those of William Caxton, Goethe, and F. This version, when printed in 1487, proved very popular across Europe. Another, unknown, poet wrote a sequel, expanding the original to a full eight thousand line version. Willem's Reynard was translated into Latin verse by a contemporary. Popularity Monument of Reynaert the Fox in Hulst, Netherlands Nevertheless, he is in the end sent into exile. He is accused of various crimes, but generally outwits his accusers. ĭe Vries argues that the animal characters represent barons who conspired against the Count of Flanders. Reinaert’s castle is actually Siger III’s country retreat at Destelbergen, which appears on later maps by the same name as Reinaert’s lair, Malpertuus, meaning Hell’s Gate. The figure of the concupiscent and vacillating Noble the Lion seems to be based on Philip, who slavishly followed the King of France’s orders and handed over two princesses as hostages to his master. It is supposed that Willem wrote Van den Vos Reinaerde to encourage Siger III, chatelain of the Counts’ Castle in Ghent, who was unjustly deprived of his post around 1210 by Philip the Noble, Count of Namur and Regent of Flanders. Many women are sexually promiscuous and include prostitutes.Īndré De Vries writes that the work is an allegory of contemporary netherlandish politics at the court of Philip I of Namur, known as "Philip the Noble": The common population is often violent and cruel. The nobility is being portrayed as lazy and often stupid. Satire about a fox who kills and bullies, and gets away with his deeds. He freely adapted and developed the original source, doing so "so deftly and with so much freedom and originality that his adaptation is universally conceded to be the best specimen of the genre in any language." Content Willem was reliant for the story of Van den vos Reinaerde on the French epic poem Le Plaid, the first story of a larger collection of fox tales known as the Roman de Renard - written by Perrout de Saint Cloude in 1160. It is considered a major work of Middle Dutch literature and has been called "the pinnacle of Gothic literature in the Netherlands." Sources Van den vos Reinaerde ( English title: Of Reynaert the Fox) is the Middle Dutch version of the story of Reynard, as written by Willem die Madoc maecte. First lines of Van den vos Reynaerde in the 14th-century Dyckse manuscript ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |