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Ekphrasis : Le Cas Du Lancelot-Graal

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Ekphrasis : Le Cas Du Lancelot-Graal EKPHRASIS : LE CAS DU LANCELOT-GRAAL by ALESSANDRA MARIA PIRES (Under the direction of Dr. Catherine M. Jones) ABSTRACT The main focus of this dissertation is the analysis of the rhetorical figure of ekphrasis, i.e., the description of works of art inscribed in literature, in light of the thirteenth century French prose romance. My intent is to pursue the concept of ekphrasis from Antiquity through the Middle Ages, starting with Horace’s Ars Poetica and Philostratus’s Imagines and their aesthetic repercussions in the medieval world, as a means of observing the changes that this figure underwent, especially with regard to its role inside the romance. I analyze the interaction between literature and the visual arts as it unfolds in the literary work, using a phenomenological approach. Finally, I illustrate my analysis by taking examples from the thirteenth century Lancelot-Grail cycle, also known as the Arthurian Vulgate. INDEX WORDS : Ekphrasis, Lancelot-Grail, Phenomenology, Thirteenth-Century French Aesthetics, France, Medieval French Literature EKPHRASIS : LE CAS DU LANCELOT-GRAAL by ALESSANDRA MARIA PIRES B.A. Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1990 D.E.A., Université de Nice, France, 1997 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2004 © 2004 Alessandra Maria Pires All Rights Reserved EKPHRASIS : Le cas du Lancelot-Graal By ALESSANDRA MARIA PIRES Major Professor : Catherine M. Jones Committee : Doris Kadish Anna Klobucka Jonathan Krell Timothy Raser Electronic Version Approved : Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2004 iv DEDICATION To my parents, Poty and Alexandre who always supported and encouraged me. To my mother, a painter, whose artistic eye taught me that sine oculus vita est nihil ; To my father, whose stoic and epicurean life style taught me to live in the present and to understand that alea jacta est ; To my brother, Fabiano, who gives me strength and hope in the future, and is the one to share our family memories ; To Brian, for his unconditional love. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My most sincere and humble gratitude goes to Dr. Catherine M. Jones, who has been an invaluable mentor throughout this long process. Professor Jones combines several qualities that contributed immensely to my education : two of these were crucial in my gradual becoming aware of the mysteries of academics. Dr. Jones possesses a deep and insightful knowledge of her scholarly specialty, combining that with a genuine integrity in regards to her research and her care for her students’own work. Dr. Jones’ enthusiasm, attention to detail and rigorous style outlined early on the path to be followed and allowed me to delve into the medieval world, a dream I had long entertained. I also would like to thank vivement the members of my committee, Drs. Doris Y. Kadish, Anna Klobucka, Jonathan F. Krell and Timothy Raser, whose comments, suggestions and careful reading have been truly appreciated at all stages of the dissertation. I learned a great deal from their perspective and insights. My deep gratitude also goes to Professor Carmen Chaves Tesser, who has entrusted me entirely with my work, and who also invited me to be a part of the great experience that is the Portuguese Language School at the Middlebury College, and has been a caring advisor throughout my research. My thanks go to Michael Casuccio and Jerry Daniel in the computer lab of the Department of Romance Languages at The University of Georgia who helped me by providing valuable technical support. Finally, my heartfelt thanks to Steven Crawford who kindly revised these lines. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................v CHAPITRE I. Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 II. De l’Ekphrasis et de ses histoires .................................................................................11 II.1. Étymologie(s) et Histoire(s) ..........................................................................11 II. 2. La notion de l’ut pictura poesis et d’autres éléments descriptifs : l’Antiquité et le Moyen Age ...........................................................................................19 II.3. Philostrate: comment la tradition ancienne de l’ekphrasis est pertinente .....33 III. L’Esthétique Médiévale ..............................................................................................52 III. 1. L’esthétique médiévale : le XIIIe siècle en art et en littérature ..................52 III.2. Des illiterati et de la nécessité des images ...................................................72 III.3. Des variations des ekphraseis: les enluminures ...........................................85 III.4. Pour une phénoménologie de l’ekphrasis ....................................................95 IV. Le Lancelot-Graal: repères diégétiques et esthétiques..............................................100 IV1. Introduction au cycle ..................................................................................100 IV.3. La quête du Graal ou l’interpénétration du mystique et de l’esthétique ....116 IV.2. Etat présent des recherches ........................................................................121 vii CHAPITRE V. Ekphraseis : Une trinité traverse le cycle : des corps, des arts et du mystique...........132 V.1. Ekphraseis des corps ...................................................................................132 V.2. Ekphraseis d’oeuvres d’art, d’architectures et de peintures ........................148 V.3. Ekphraseis mystiques : du Graal et d’autres visions ..................................169 VI. Conclusion .................................................................................................................180 VIII. Bibliographie...........................................................................................................183 1 CHAPITRE I INTRODUCTION « (…) l’imagination est toujours, (…) puissance de visibilité » (Dufrenne 436) L’objectif central de cette thèse consiste à interroger les aspects visuels qu’un texte littéraire présente; à l’instar de cette proposition, il nous faut remarquer que ces aspects visuels seront examinés à l’image de la figure de rhétorique de l’ekphrasis, figure qui apparaîtra comme leitmotiv et essence de notre recherche. Nous comprenons que l’ekphrasis, de nos jours, est généralement définie comme une figure de rhétorique, dont le but est de « décrire une oeuvre d’art ».1 Pourtant, ce que nous souhaitons entreprendre au long de cette thèse, c’est, tout d’abord, d’étendre cette définition prédominante, qui se limite aux correspondances entre une oeuvre visuelle et son corrélat descriptif, à une autre plus large, qui comprendrait l’ekphrasis comme une description artistique, mais une description de l’art qui se déploie non seulement en couleurs, objets, lumières, mais aussi en visages, corps ou voire en une foi mystico-religieuse. Bref, nous proposons une définition de l’ekphrasis qui combinerait l’art conventionnel à d’autres éléments imbriqués dans le champ de l’art qui pourraient échapper au lecteur désavisé, i.e., un domaine esthétique qui ne se limiterait point aux remarques plus éclairées, aux débats autour de la question du goût universel, aux 1 Le dictionnaire « Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory » définit ainsi le terme : « (Gk ‘description’). This very broad term has been limited to some to the description of art-objects, and even to the self- description of ‘speaking’ art-objects (objects whose visual details are significant). A more generous account would define ekphrasis as virtuosic description of physical reality (objects, scenes, persons) in order to evoke an image in the mind’s eye as intense as if the described object were actually before the reader » (ed. Cuddon 252). 2 évidentes présences artistiques telles qu’une peinture ou une tapisserie. Nous désirons élargir le domaine esthétique à d’autres domaines, suivant un modèle sensoriel, un modèle qui envisagerait l’oeuvre d’art comme étant celle qui touche à un sens qui la déborde. Dans ce cadre assez élargi de l’esthétique, il se peut que même la nourriture soit susceptible de devenir un objet d’étude ; nous avons pourtant décidé pour une division en catégories qui suggèrent un sens : des corps, des oeuvres d’art et des éléments mystiques. Ces catégories sont proposées car autrement il serait exhaustif de souligner chaque élément possible dans un champ aussi vaste que celui présenté. Il est encore nécessaire de préciser que la définition d’ekphrasis que nous souhaitons adopter remonte à l’Antiquité et s’avère en définitif plus large que celle admise parmi la critique contemporaine. L’ekphrasis, telle que nous la comprenons dans le cadre de cette thèse, se situera dans ce que nous avons convenu d’appeler la frontière de l’œuvre d’art. Cela dit, la définition d’oeuvre d’art à laquelle nous ferons appel inscrit l’ekphrasis en ce lieu qui dépasse l’idée d’un tableau ou d’une sculpture, et en l’occurrence s’installe dans l’objet esthétique, objet aperçu à la fois par les personnages, par les lecteurs et par tous les actants de l’œuvre en question. L’œuvre d’art telle que nous abordons ici, assume également un aspect mondain, banal, et sous cette
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