Bouquet de Pinde, compose de fleurs diverses

Renaissance Quarterly, Summer, 1997 by Cathleen M. Bauschatz

In the carefully written introduction, Bertela explains her view that poetry and poetic theory should be seen as an integral part of Gournay's total oeuvre, rather than as a marginal addition to it. One feature of the poetry, found also in the prose works, is Gournay's tendency to repeatedly revise. Bertela documents these changes in Gournay's poetic work over time with great care.

Bertela explains that Gournay practiced most of the poetic forms of her age (ode, sonnet, etc.), but that her favorite form was the epigram, which provided an outlet for her caustic sense of humor. Other themes that appear in the poetry include marital love, women (especially Jeanne d'Arc), and animals. There are numerous "poemes de circonstance" dedicated to nobles (especially ladies), the royal family, and other members of the court. The autobiographical poems are the most interesting and the most readable of those in the collection, particularly the well-known "Peincture de Moeurs" of 1615-16, and "A Lentin," which defends Gournay's role in the debate over the Jesuits. Bertela concludes her introduction with an evaluation of the quality of Gournay's poetry, which she finds to be better than many earlier scholars such as Marjorie Ilsley had claimed.

The poems are presented in roughly chronological order of composition, with a detailed "commentaire" of each provided at the end of the book. The original "Bouquet de Pinde" appeared with Gournay's novel the Proumenoir de M. de Montaigne of 1594, and was dedicated to Montaigne's daughter, Leonor de Montaigne. But additional poems, appearing in the later collected works of Gournay, are included here as well. The "commentaires" by Bertela are excellent, rendering many dense and obscure poems comprehensible, and tracking down their abundant historical, biographical and mythological references.

Reading this collection of poetry at one sitting is not for the faint hearted, since many of the poems - especially the pastoral pieces - do not conform to contemporary tastes. Some of the more interesting poems and autobiographical works include those about Montaigne, and about her relationship to him; poems to noble ladies showing Gournay's rarely seen social side; and "Balet" scenarios, including one "pour les Amazones," on which Bertela has elsewhere published an entire essay. The poems to Jeanne d'Arc are a curious phenomenon - Bertela explains that this was a theme practiced by Catholic poets who supported Louis XIII's campaign against the Huguenots. The volume concludes with several "tombeaux" addressed to deceased friends, various Latin poems and translations of Latin religious poetry, and some short pieces praising Gournay by other authors such as Justus Lipsius, La Mothe le Vayer, and Du Pelletier.

Bertela is to be commended for this careful, scholarly edition of Marie de Gournay's poetic oeuvre, and for her judicious evaluation of the many qualities which Gournay's work possesses.

CATHLEEN M. BAUSCHATZ University of Maine, Orono