Contenu du sommaire : Le Moyen Age 2017/3-4

Revue Le Moyen Age Mir@bel
Numéro tome 123, no 3, 2017
Titre du numéro Le Moyen Age 2017/3-4
Texte intégral en ligne Accessible sur l'internet
  • Articles

    • La solitude dans les sources de la pratique. L'exemple de Montpellier à la fin du Moyen Âge - Lucie Laumonier p. 481-506 accès libre avec résumé en anglais
      Solitude in pragmatic documents: The case of Late Medieval Montpellier
      History of solitude is a field of research that has not received much attention in medieval studies. Most of the work focuses on religious history, while solitary lay people have been studied in a fragmented manner, without offering an overview of the solitaries' experiences of solitude. Centred on the example of late medieval Montpellier, this article reflects on the different meanings of “solitude” (i.e. the fact of being alone, social isolation, the feeling and desire of loneliness), and on the ways in which they intersected and were connected to each other. The triptych alone/isolation/loneliness is significant as it enables the study of solitude as a demographic fact, a social situation and an emotional experience. The first section of the article, based on wills and fiscal sources, aims to evaluate the ratio of solitary persons in the city, its chronological variances, and the demographic profile of individuals. The second section looks at social isolation, social status and social interactions. The last section of the article, grounded in cases study, investigates solitude as an emotion and a feeling, and is based on case study.
    • Hagiographie et mise en prose au xiiie siècle. L'exemple de Barlaam et Josaphat - Adélaïde Lambert p. 507-526 accès libre avec résumé
      It is rare to find French sources in verse for lives of the Saints written in vernacular prose in the 13th century. This study of the reworking of the anonymous version in verse of Barlaam et Josaphat focuses on the way such productions may have handled their models and integrated certain characteristics of the verse into the prose form. From the perspective of narrative economy, the quantitative relationship that the reworking of Barlaam has with its source makes it possible to determine the rewriter's interventions and to shed light on part of the relationship between these two versions and the Latin Historia (B.H.L. 979). Starting from the distinction between mise en prose and dérimage, this paper then focuses on the techniques used to create writing that promotes an esthetic of compromise between fidelity to the source text and intelligibility of the target text. From that perspective, rewriting becomes a process of appropriation of an earlier text as well as a literary language in development, notably in leaving the preexisting verse tradition behind.
    • L'héraldique dans l'espace domestique : Perspectives historiques sur les armoiries et le décor héraldique dans l'espace profane (espace germanique, xiiie–xvie siècle) - Torsten Hiltmann p. 527-570 accès libre avec résumé en anglais
      Heraldry in the domestic space
      Coats of arms were a ubiquitous aspect of medieval culture, to be found in many different shapes and forms in the most public as well as in the most private spaces. Focusing on the German-speaking region from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, this article specifically analyses the use of heraldry in the domestic sphere and questions the meaning of coats of arms in this context, the development of heraldic representations over time, and what can be learned from these changes. The study starts with a general assessment of coats of arms, their signification, their functionality as a means of communication, and their place in the domestic universe. On this basis, it considers different examples of heraldic wall paintings in secular domestic spaces in further detail. The study reveals a surprisingly chronological homogeneity in various parts of the German-speaking area, as well as a large diversity of materials and techniques being utilised in this region. In contrast to former beliefs, this study emphasises that the use of heraldry in the domestic space was not exclusively a matter of nobility and courtly culture, but rather that it was to be found most in an urban context among wealthy citizens and patricians. It ends with a new interpretation of the diversification in style and themes from the fourteenth century onwards and outlines new directions for further research by highlighting the importance of intermediality and cultural context in the understanding of these heraldic arrangements.
    • Trois femmes, deux villes, un ménestrel. Les fabliaux en diptyque de Watriquet de Couvin - Silvère Menegaldo p. 571-587 accès libre avec résumé en anglais
      Three Women, Two Towns, One Minstrel. The Fabliaux in Two Parts by Watriquet de Couvin
      The Hainaut poet and minstrel Watriquet de Couvin, who was active from 1319 to 1329, wrote among other compositions two fabliaux that, along with those of his contemporary Jean de Condé, were among the last in the genre. These have had very mixed fortunes. Whereas the first, Trois Dames de Paris, has long been, even very recently, the focus of critical attention, the second, Trois Chanoinesses de Cologne, has barely aroused interest. The fabliaux depict, within a similar urban setting, a trio of female characters who indulge in gratifying their senses. Both works appear successively in one manuscript (Paris, Ars. 3525), the only one to have preserved them, and seem to call for a joint reading, which is the subject of this article.
    • La vision spirituelle dans l'espace corporel et le pouvoir performatif du langage dans la biographie mystique de Christina de Hane - Racha Kirakosian p. 589-607 accès libre avec résumé en anglais
      Spiritual vision in physical space and the power of performative language in the Life of Christina of HaneMedieval mystical texts are concerned with authenticating the stories they contain. Especially when they are written in a hagiographical tone, validating the ineffable through language becomes essential for the proof of sanctity. The retelling of mystical moments evolving in a visionary space reserved to the mystic, poses particular challenges for the mystical account which is read in a collective environment. The mystical Life of Christina of Hane serves as a case study for illustrating the relationship between the personal realm of the visionary and the communal physical space. Mapping between inner and outer perceptions as experienced by the Premonstratensian nun, the mystical text establishes analogies which translate non-figurative concepts – such as the mystical rapture – into corporeal manifestations. Despite claims to its apophatic nature, language plays a key role in the communication of the mystical moment: figures featuring in Christina's visions perform speech acts, which bridge the gap between the visionary and the corporeal.
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