Ebook: The Shadow of Dante in French Renaissance Lyric: Scève’s “Délie”

This book presents an interpretation of Maurice Sc�ve's lyric sequence D�lie, object de plus haulte vertu (Lyon, 1544) in literary relation to the Vita nuova, Commedia, and other works of Dante Alighieri. Dante's subtle influence on Sc�ve is elucidated in depth for the first time, augmenting the allusions in D�lie to the Canzoniere of Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca). Sc�ve's sequence of dense, epigrammatic dizains is considered to be an early example, prior to the Pl�iade poets, of French Renaissance imitation of Petrarch's vernacular poetry, in a time when imitatio was an established literary practice, signifying the poet's participation in a tradition. While the Canzoniere is an important source for Sc�ve's D�lie, both works are part of a poetic lineage that includes Occitan troubadours, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti, and Dante. The book situates Dante as a relevant predecessor and source for Sc�ve, and examines anew the Petrarchan label for D�lie. Compelling poetic affinities emerge between Dante and Sc�ve that do not correlate with Petrarch.