Saints in the Roman De Renart
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SAINTS IN THE ROMAN DE RENART DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in The Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Clare Balombin, B.A., M.S.L.S., M.B.A., M.A. French and Italian ******* The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Sarah-Grace Heller, Advisor Dr. Diane Birckbichler, Committee Member Dr. Anna Grotans, Committee Member Copyright © Clare Balombin 2013 Abstract The Roman de Renart is a cycle of 12th and 13th century vernacular tales in octosyllabic verse centering on the interactions between a sly, conniving fox and his acquaintances. Each of three major manuscript “families” of the Roman de Renart constitutes a compilation of between 26 and 31 episodes with about 30,000 verses. In each family over 60 different saints are invoked, identified based on examination of their life, legends, and geographic placement. The import and semiotics of the frequent invocation of saints has been neglected throughout the centuries. It deserves study because calling upon a particular saint can encapsulate a rich deposit of narrative, geographic, and symbolic information that the numerous, mostly anonymous, authors manipulated to humorous, ironic, or subversive effect. This dissertation considers the role of saints in high medieval French culture and demonstrates the reasons for the choice of particular saints in selected episodes of the Roman de Renart. ii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved brother, Joseph Robert Balombin, and sister, Jane Frances Balombin, each for the role they played in making me who I am today. iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the support of my committee members, Professors Sarah-Grace Heller, Diane W. Birckbichler, and Anna Grotans, each of whom gave me the courage to move forward at various stages of this work. I am grateful for the opportunity offered by the Ohio State University Department of French and Italian to continue my French studies, and to Professor Christiane Laeufer (retired) for assisting me in this endeavor. I would also like to acknowledge my writing partner, Dr. Anaïs Wise, for her words of encouragement. iv Vita 1968…………………….B. A. Modern Languages (French and German), Notre Dame College 1969 ……………………M.S.L.S. Case Western Reserve University 1980……………………..M.B.A. Case Western Reserve University 1980s……………………Marketing Manager, BancOhio National Bank 1990s……………………Consultant, Marketing 2007……………………..M. A. French, The Ohio State University 2006-13…………………Instructor, French and Italian The Ohio State University Fields Of Study Medieval French Literature, Film, and Nation-building v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... iv Vita .......................................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................. vi Table of Figures .................................................................................................................................. x List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................... xi Introduction: Saints in the Roman de Renart ................................................................. 1 Chapter 1 The Roman de Renart as cultural artefact ................................................. 11 Renart’s composition and reception ....................................................................................... 16 Sources of the Renart .................................................................................................................... 20 Authorship ........................................................................................................................................ 25 The manuscript tradition ............................................................................................................ 29 Animals and expected behaviors .............................................................................................. 34 Economic and political changes, changes in religious life ............................................... 37 Christianity and society ................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter 2 The name of the saint and the horizon of expectations ....................... 48 Foi que [je] doi: Invoking or referencing a saint ................................................................. 57 vi Use of saints’ names for characters .......................................................................................... 65 The practice of invoking the name of a saint ........................................................................ 67 The litanies and martyrologies ................................................................................................. 68 The historical evolution of sainthood ..................................................................................... 72 Hagiographic tradition ................................................................................................................. 74 The cults of the saints ................................................................................................................... 79 Pilgrimages that spread the name of the saint .................................................................... 84 Types of saints invoked in the Roman de Renart ................................................................ 87 Choice of saints ................................................................................................................................ 91 Diachronic naming of saints in the Roman de Renart ........................................................ 94 Saints in later versions of Renart .............................................................................................. 98 Western European versions of the Renart cycle ............................................................... 101 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 104 Chapter 3 Les vies des saints and the Renart : Saints’ lives and the text .......... 107 The origins of the relationships in the Renart cycle ........................................................ 111 Renart on-the-run ......................................................................................................................... 131 Adventures of Tibert ................................................................................................................... 139 Primaut ............................................................................................................................................. 147 Renart and the birds: the crow and the cock ...................................................................... 155 When Renart plays doctor ......................................................................................................... 157 Renart the counselor ................................................................................................................... 163 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 166 vii Chapter 4 The Eponymy of the Saints and the Renart ............................................ 169 Devotion to Mary, Theotokos, Mother of God ...................................................................... 169 Churches in Paris—Saint Germain ......................................................................................... 172 Churches in Paris—Saint Julian ............................................................................................... 176 Churches in Paris—Saint Agnes .............................................................................................. 178 Churches in Paris-Saint Nicholas ............................................................................................ 179 Churches in Paris—Saint Médard ........................................................................................... 182 Churches in Paris—Saint Marcel ............................................................................................. 183 Churches near Paris—Saint Mandé/Maudez ...................................................................... 185 Churches in Amiens and Liège ................................................................................................. 186 Churches in Rome, relics in France (Pantaleon) ............................................................... 190 Churches in Rome, relics in France (Peter) ......................................................................... 191 Shrines .............................................................................................................................................