Ebook: Hagiographic devotion and Christian historical verse narrative in thirteenth-century romance : Philippe de Remi’s Roman de la Manekine [thesis]

The Roman de la Manekine, composed circa 1240 by- Philippe de Remi, sire de Beaumanoir, provides an excellent example of thirteenth-century romance's fusion of courtly and spiritual life in the service of poetic truth. Philippe's verse romance of about 8900 octosyllabic lines portrays great violence (incest, mutilation, jealousy, treachery) and a destructive melancholic impulse (acedia) which are all redeemed and transformed into penitence, saintly heroism and Christian devotion. Drawing upon a romance and hagiographic tradition and employing specific Christian narratives (the Annunciation, the Incarnation) Philippe's narrative voice demonstrates its devotion--sententious and hagiographic in quality--in recounting the adventures of the heroine Joie, a young Hungarian orincess, and in bearing witness to her "intercession" on behalf of her nation.

Poetic techniques such as conjointure, inherited from Chretien de Troyes' twelfth-century verse narratives, and the more commemorative ramembrance, combine to link narrative closure and poetic craft with spiritual devotion and moral rectitude. This fusion invests the unfolding of the plot--through numerous recognition scenes--with eschatological and historical significance, unveiling the workings of divine providence.

One particular motif in La Manekine is exemplary of the structural renewal and transformation of romance itself: the letter. This missive takes on many guises, including the folkloric motif of exchanged and forged messages, the lyric form of the salut d'amour, a commented, expanded version of the Ave Maria, as well as a Credo prayer. Each example holds a performative value, as either source of treachery, an expression of devotion to a lady, or a profession of faith to God and His Mother. Through these various letters, Philippe imbricates lyric and narrative, and focuses his story-- its telling and its retelling--around Holy Week and Easter. In so doing, the pious life of his protagonist Joie, her marriage, her court, and her children "resurrect" this-worldly values such as courtoisie, chevalerie, and clergie, which assure the sanctity of both couple and dynasty.