In 1688 two new biographies of Saint Louis (Louis IX, king of
France from 1226 to 1270) were completed in Paris. The appearance
of the first, originally sponsored by the educators of the heir to
the throne of Louis XIV and composed by the Jansenist Filleau de la
Chaise, nearly caused a riot at the bookstore due to the heavy
influx of eager buyers. The second, by the cross-dressing abbe de
Choisy, was specially commissioned by the Court of Louis XIV to
drive the first into oblivion. This thesis explores why such
interest arose in Saint Louis in 1688, analyzing these competing
biographies as the culmination of the struggle for custody of
memory of Saint Louis over the four centuries following his death.
The specific choice of author by the various sponsors of each of
these 1688 biographies is closely analyzed. We show how the
Jansenist was chosen by tracing the long connection of Port-Royal
with the veneration and biography of Saint Louis. Consideration of
his life and literary and historical works shows that the seemingly
surprising choice of the transvestite courtier Choisy was in fact a
very natural one under the circumstances."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!