eso an Cue Sceteth Contry France {tis not separable from realty but part and parcel of it Idolog eal work wansform areal repetenatonal cain ia a represe tation ef Fae, Art pervades tat clin at Ihave ed aso how art and ideology dialectal formed and transformed each oxher inthe successive metamorphoses of the portrait in the wt ‘pica pos aytem. The wldimate mecamorphoss of Mt pura ‘es into a sytem of realom stale yet be tl. 4 History and Fable uo nice word They fiequery eric the oof “tin and, perhaps. wars (aly, ren of something STighty pormgrapic or at hea canals silang. Often non contra eth *aory." they could be aed eo unertne the fine writes ntclions ae acring you truth uch writer ingued, not the aul of toel. The erate pera proclaimed aude ywtt ves wis roughly tht of td’ etal Wo ward televsn: 4 vulgar phenomenon dat must be werated for the enfitf the France is eat, dl mi At ihe sine ine alter the me-centry Nourishing. of Francois Eades de Méveayy here wae en), Yet as the ce iby tanger oe of this ti curved angi ft ental generic change. The ance (lor cone tone, I len uae bo yy the English "ove was, despite he dincon rae by it ere. With « decine m prdoction of a literally new genre, the noel, x prototype of the moder fovel ls doses relative was at hiory, but ells, a newsleSeemtrtCetery Prone historical wring among ers hat ill ree of history Fore, eh peat the vaca fle by the dsappe rit) had en peeve the halla Siete a that of the roman. Now, intesingy. writes 0 “Tse grew ve tnt erluon of history a on an the deta he 1 thas he dec ht a he ging SF tenis XIV peruonal reign, Hisiny ceived to seve The pur pote af absolut for che Sun King, ad 90 he sought ther odes of gloriaton, Wahout is teal patron, history eto tea a sgticonaydiferert relationship each ther ven by the Opes than shy hid eore the young monarchs Tage to uncover the funciona development fia, his sire al Reman before 1681 ie qe ate fhe Hitorograpers were pi for dei services, bat is ut Titel hat they were a lor the more. which was ten nly regulary forthcoming. traction wax more pr iy the str and presige that acompanied their pons es tte ringing em sn he a of pe." i the Gr'aathorts Above all nya office enjoyed among the tos Highly coveted prvieyes in the kingdom. Here are some ofthe pris Charles IX granted to the wate and sean di te write Frnch ory. sn is eit tone principal ant Ur'Mouting famnary 1960: they were exempt trom the The gal xo ait inpontan cvs uprisings na evenieemh century they were exempl Irom the entry tax om dias traveling fre one province to another inl) they weve allowelbithenty and rece History and Fab dence—the ater biterty dite rghtinto sovereign ons bn ens hey were pred enn pet régime. For thei wages historians were expect a wor fot the neceesry meow which they woul be provided. ‘Ard 0 the sixteen century passed wn to the eeventcenh 3 teadton of prvege Tor the royal storsgraphers wh aking With many other officer of the con we tpl Teo the Fanks of the old aitary nobly nthe lyase, humane les ofthe sian cerry, Mort tet anne fm Tobe haekground. Learned men, they Io the said ert the bourgeobie or the sword nity train ejected bth purse of Iarsing nd protean ws writers ‘Was the mia nobis date for erabit elproessna ‘bor te. row more pronounced asi siw moe fnurgem ‘roachig on i privege, stealing is Favor and status Oe The shaping of the welbknova seventeenth ansonrati i e homme case itl om Tessiona, indented this may hive been tendeneys! ute thatthe ol nobly fel inctesingythretened bythe ‘uuliplication of eaya offices sng the barges es teenth ewatury Royal hiseriogrphers have spect pi this story, for they were to. haves effec ot tvelty entry of Lous NID and Louis XIV. And ‘resing themselves o ales, eye detncion aot only as ie but ab as Since cc angie src wring had Tome a sal vale Twas "roto i ‘mani inthe of ealing an exam for alien of He Usually write fora about the geet tte! eral ive thre dels for posterity. To dase with appropriate digi stl clung to the inch el ol fer hin on elydeo a Caren Sete Cnty Free to the faa" Seveneenth-century history consisted of diferent thu elated genes or subgenre, erary” in tha they were de tive by an age fom te retire of eal aig. Titwory to be dinguished generally fom and cron, Memos wer ay wit by a ate i icalingpartepant inthe event they describe, Chronicles were typi concerned with the present rater than he pst ard ey tehdad tbe ordered chronology. Uni the end ofthe Fifteenth century, France hd practicly no writen history other thm the Grand’ cronies de France? hve cronies were re primed! and continued well nga the sistent century: they Formed he tas for more recent Kistores® Te was not ui the flowering of humanistic history, beginning early in the reign of Franga | with the work ofthe Taam Paolo Emilio (own in France as PaulEii), that strc genres in France ee i their own, They may be roughly extegoraed thus univers hi tug, & itn! or moral pene here fom the Nice ‘Ages pia history, vee history of one pibce oF monarch general tory, by fr the mos refered Kinky wally thar de Pc aoa comprising» ory of ube French ration From the reign of de fst Kg, Pramod to the preset Trion to these fundamental subgenre, usta signaled by in presence ofthe word fre i thet, there wa vate a Ininor hsriealsubgenres Vie, ova conplation of Hives of ih tinue people, became a favored genre in France, particulary ster ihe publication af Anya translation of Platarchs Lies ‘son, Charles Sorel. in his Bilchiyee gair—an excellent Century France sis tht loge, or eulogies, were ike abrevited ives” Eulogy and. panegyr, however sem general to have bw practice! and perceived as iinet store genres i thee (rat but he ends p--understndsbly—conTusing porras snd Chloges'" “These “caegores are only approximations si scent: and seremeendrcenury writers respected conventional Forme, buc there was ahh individual varaon i dei we an practice" In this ease, Sorels confusion illaminsting. Asam ‘Geample of eulogy, he mentions Thevers Ele ds hme’ ih was fm realty led Let Voie furan te den sures gre. las, ef agent al conse of serie ive, each her wel companied by an engraved ‘engraved portraie tach at thowe by Paka Ginn ‘ithest masters of the genre, and Valin de ba Calembiere. He sacar Mile de Monipensiers collection of writen portray, the be also mentions perhaps the mest fame —o ila pr ducer of portnit books in Rihele's time, Joan Piget de La The portut does seem to have been pitted ay x discrete sen, for'a genre col occur within a genre—portss were trgulaly found in novel, for ingance—but the pat wae in ‘parable rom the very fabric of sri writing Even in ge ‘al hisiores a portra of each King was a mesa component Tine moat fameurseventeentncenury general hitey, Mere Hitsine de France depuis Faron pea manent, Was a0 sortie book, with suppeiedly authentic engraver pore of ‘ich King onl queen, Even ery dillerent Kn of biter, which ‘es not fll within these categories becae ft vas not “Heray ties subject to no Formal convention), made use the porta Thi wo Aanaquin” or Ser Nsw hey a pretad by scholars who sought above sll dacuments and teas Real his cdr revere, curated Tor hs own sake, tn aus curiosity Shot the past went separate way in he siacenth ind seve teenth centuries. Unadormed by humanistic use of ches es tore, tamed ott eeebeate an to af, Bat to umes, to ‘huhenicte, 1 verify. Such radi at Clade Fauches Pape mand) André Dicheste were removed irom the humanities Pao Emilia, which formed the mansrenn of tx teenth and serententh-cenury history. aii’ waste Nitoryeso and Cutere in SrententsCentry France SE Ripper ego le isery an Fable Humanist history offered al the fsaues of cay reading. his tradton, ayes jun st loaportant a aultnce trong ‘or speeches ofien ue not dreamed up bythe Hisoran iterrupted ‘he ttn at sci moment, suchas righ Before major be ‘While held in suspense, the reader could take deh the ora torical sil ofthe speaker. With esiieation by predentin las Sal sig, historians employed varity of such devices to ‘mibroider ther teri, Empl, semen, und veflcions on Pollies helped ve form the moral dnseason elec anaes find ports aldedpsyehologelinteret. Above ll aver hie toran such ae Mézeray was good storyteller. In he right hands Secu fcr nen eld ek she mena bash aking of Fal devs fo ens This war the gum tat mae thereof sry wo te Ofte send” war peal om ra mapped oe the “sou of history” according 1 voit open of the Mine‘ Precstmt Horn Jeanie eres moa ced Vou wt ded lego Tr epee le age ister fr baying although abn Ca Mae fe Majer perhaps tailed the pera onus eis ve In'one an be ume oust he coed sn psy of fet 2 hoa ral ad cowledge tht ory an cst recommended." " The diffe here sn the notion of truth. For in Gt aman is history 8 developed in seventeenrceny France was 10 take two very differen clans of eth, which were onl fer sery—and dimly—perceved by ‘contempo tory, On the ee hand, history hilo por re Fete it). nseso and Cabaret Seenen-Ctry Frees things as they ar" leaving “ings they should be" ional fan in dervauon, Trash, ower, i bara and intoral The food are often punished, the wicked rewarded. The moral di Fenwring story, bu in ating relltions. converting fc nto Ceample, so thc tru became a eso This way, tru (lo en wis modified by ancter Kind of truth, verbinide, oF ravemlence, Wellwten history, si the cic Ren de Losing hing Thucydides, should be the miror of antiquity. I shoud Slow tose av ina panting the vis and ie, the good nd ev of anlent times, Arts we read the chs trins we wl see ourshes for “nature i ava one ad through ‘empl we can uncover the resemblaners between pas and pre Ene We are mowed bythe sme sprigs 2 13 almost the Same {ible represented inthe samme Thenre "So humanist history fot yet concerned with scary reser after the manner of the frie, ron the permanent risk of ping ino "able Despite tet pein on at em i Fonetening 38 histori rth The sitet and sevententh-certry historian was subj 10 the demands of bis royal or noble yr. He hd both to record trae, Whether or ot the Historia bled in he tra of his tierances i etevan We shall never know if ezeray was om peel glld by his predecesoc Jacques de Bi imo tliesng in TRe‘sopposed auhemcy of the posts and medals he ame Mea To his Mtoe de rane dps Forno, ori he culled Inwaelyoverhiartfl deco" History was writen forthe pre tia purpose of immoralsing the rulers Hira in de hu Niworiealberature of pase derived from dass nda. In the period of developing absolute, ory took on amore overt propegandistic value The Nourshing of panegyic tnd porta Feoks under Richelieu indates thatthe minister tok very sr aly the Wecogial potential of tradonal history. The image of the King a example as arts pace of the rath bout the 136 Mr ad Fable bing. Corresponlences found so frequently in emblem erature baineen reigning monarch and a mythological igure ef ees The moral aspect of story was par of fs a ai 2 pot of oe Fissurs in thi yste were inevicle, Hiri hi tat they vere wring fr ei anhentte, ajc, in parti tuth, For the royal hiorigrapher, abject tah was Sign of thority becae hirsute mp 3 hoe ity ever eer storianeeclerg, ols, some members Of the Third Ege eanse us royal offical hey ere crc tthe inure of tra than unolil writers Fr dhe robe nelle ne pen became a badge of poner. Ax the momirhy ineressingly Penson writer, intellect actity acquire prestige tat Sd that of the nary. Here war yt aonber arena of col the long and the short roe! line and rly ake were ‘ohsciouy thatthe pw could accompa fo ch For the sonarchy sword, So im surprising tof Berary coped pen and sword posed in ntl confrontation. “The pen shod celebrate the dest of the sword,” said La Mote fe Vayer ind ithe Muss co ot imervene al of Mar eongues, sl he scents won by the highest Virtue and the deveret Pies will Eycwiiness tetimony merited the greater credibility. Masts ence century Natorate and cies nse on the importance Si frend acon, Each clined rae erewnes iecinse mahing so enfanced the prestige ofthe histor x to be thovghcs parepen in alse of tte Such ble anoriis twine Carl de Retr prochimed thee superiority ter mere Ioriographesin tis respect” Marin Le ay de Gombe tems, mtn ae sree took up the ther of Sorel and Laxinges Ascari to hin, onks,gemlemen, door, ane se o write ginal hisony Bees they badestoy nd Cube in Seen Century rane experience in affairs of site; dey dil not papa in counel in oprest undertakings Tie pico f that he, «cour of ‘Sejoye sen pstipaton Tran then, depend on the stats ofthe criterion was nok exempt from qualiaton, ot reveal too macy for then he woul be ging aay state Sterets Pere Mattie, although be ebsioul considered hi Seif to wrke history, neverbeless warned that not everyone Should be allowed wo Seater fncense in Arabi” oF to “dios onthe council of the fats. =Ies peru” be cautioned," Set sail onthe ocean of ste secrets Here ae the Sead o an important debate which ous to have epocermaking consequences iin rig of Louis XVI hon much shoul he storia Under Louis XII, clever hitoriographer such as Matthieu eer precarious mile courge beneen ise und outed HHe chive! to know sone but xa wings at frthand. Only ths could he make plausible his primary clam of para. for the pancpaing eyewitness, so Mahou srgved, ws sua 1 both prj snl bequousnes.” titra tah chs historical lin, made in his ation, French court hitortogaphers of the early seventeenth Century were mainly men of rlavely new chss enjoying and “Edesvorng to preserve new prestige. Over against the ol mil tiny moby, these robin sured that thei power I 4 thee Si to write tue history, hey one would ge heii story. While ut the same ine euining thet objecvty. In thei oh Selsinteret dey would erie what they were ated 10 write torcaton of the monarch, ocasonally conserving enough in Ulcpendence to dings oraendtnce rom frit Frere Matthiew, ante bisorian tht he wi, seemed conscious fot the neil to maintain a eqiiriam between the contig demand of vente and wrtenblence He informed the reader of Wis Pie de France tht the bisory ws decorate withthe “se Tutt sare adornments of css ankgy. But you ca kip them, he advised, They can eaiy he removed eth affecting the’ subsunee of the whole Ineresingly enough, Mle de sie cond Hisar and Fable she has ince her novel decrptios of some hoses in the ‘Granada of two centuries ago, whlch ae chine fr ber tno fan Fable” he added, you can skip ther fm nder Tallow the thread ofthe stony [sure le ide [Hise Fale sd Wry ‘coin cach oer ough wainionr The nel andthe Shan reapecvly oppecd tei able wl shir Rayo the rammenuon hit Served ot the vehicle of versa But whereas hiriang chimed to be writing rth whe a the THovoré Url ol atte tone for snch in the pl ere shen hh enrollee (yes). Te ening for mulvlume ta, ficenary Ga wap Dosey historical, bat by andar were to develop Tl Rs publications bcal color was minima, Nevers Pu {ety was wore the eonl p correapeel the el precnt each chacr of ths hiatal ory sorvesponded|w Fea igure of presen Hisry” The secret thet oreo ‘ences vas untcked through keys tothe chuacere len pul ised separa by persone who camed to poses te cone {Cia de France fm 3 orpe Poll Hintare de France” ine manner of Mezeray's ln his prec, La Caprese sgh to promote the Dusion Oy deleracty confusing tre ad ficial furatve. He admited thatthe perpoee off rs He woudl inguin fom the ol oon cei ZV an the popular And de Get which fered weer tah ony nok stories, he tlh eaer, tet with“evn and Cute Seen Cenery France ‘of histor, he conte, bu sly modicaion) some things may {30 vbeyand” ty Dont look for key, he admonishes, king Ell chs reader woul do just tat because there are few heroes mowatdyy who resemble the ones in Foren Mile de"Scudéry’s enormously sucessful Grad Gyrus was an ‘ep romance of the Fronde: beneath the mks of her ancient, eran proagoniss were the (aes af France’ rat ists Trondeurs and frondeises, Her Cyrus may hie ben ftona: ined, bu the real presence of his madera avatar, Com "actual ined himy ashe suggests in her preface. ‘Sondery went ever Fuvther create the Huson of truth Tor her rudnce. Shes devted st her history was well documented, nd she enumeried the ancient historians she wed at sources. She decred that she ‘was no ies acurate than her historical sources, et tat she v= Spected versie, “For feral” she stated" ar writ Tike omore ef, Mlle de Scudéry und La Calprenée knew their pute wel Their Gtionabhsorical characters were of ferent primarily to those who thought they had the Reso nd the contemporary selerences Their render was the highly estited sci ofthe son, Who cs but the socal ite had the tesure wade through tem or fiteen volumes of romain the Therote nanmer. which the inevitable vetnion of eo an her ‘ine was delayed by thousands of pages of akctions, bates, Imisenderstandings. eters, madrigals, and subplas? Chars Sorel analysis of this reading. pubic is lasieally accurate: ‘Women and Gir, Men ofthe Court and ofthe Worl, eter people a the sword, or people whose idleness als them take Pewure in the vane of the World” The idleness of th people of the sword we in: part enforced. Incremingly Pace nthe exercne of patel power by ofa of bourgeois Srigns, they had also suffered deetine im Snel satus since the econome ere of the siteenth century. Interns of plead ind ecinomic power, i wa wndoulsedy Uh pond gs th the development of sbulutamn, One of Richefe's mow urgent tasks wos to rd the King of the la seas eal ator ye Hisar and Fable yan he desperate bil or prin the de ie of Fronde murked + deci nep ward ther praia emi gues of plea imporunce The tan hse eed the receive his ast deserts for doing chivalric day. The moh Carded sed at. Westen by les or no Soli appropri nyt eee were png ie exude by Keys rnc stp a eae co play. for ony ines cn im psn is ‘Bt powerconoce sek hoy ya fora. Nh plese ener mt fe ho her oon peed Prin neot thee nove The son of sur tepnded IOs rel need an he paths be pened eng fant hen Son, Royal hisoriographers were paid to bainortalce the King ‘obese heme ooze ene tel Tiorogapes. were perio oveliay wer all te ining ir rte ny a the momar, ive nv ike ayer res cat mx pli at os pee {hing boc are mea nee mk Specie timed sine elas recee ison cheng Sorcha ee himaey dependent on ys fr Fue thy reap rea nese sats ha Sere ganferce n'a yensoned fest The hero phe sy he wa pully ca smi Moe rear nd preoges of P rand. nb iso haere ay haa ine tbe ene wt in urd ny The tera her ‘taper cry wel eat eprae! rom he ie Pie wine wee he pins fee why ten sia mol ue thi hiss ead He orl ueeso and Coar in Sete. Century Fane Novels and historians of the earier seventeenth cenary were, then, engaged in + mule socal eon provoked by he ‘onome criss of the sisteenih century, the sae of oie, nd them with eray arena WH pay ont ther Kosa ‘oni The novelist could iat history ss the historian cou borow trom the novel, beense oth forms of wing hd comet hie run forma feawures “Porta” or brit denon of «Gar Sher piyetal exterior and prychologeal interior hrm ot speech, moral reletios, description, and plot of epic i Arenson could often be found n bath nadine rou Scat of auc and irom Toei sanctioned the noel tition of history. As bah» huorogrpher und renegade werter Of comic or antiovee Chats Sorel lp eay wih ten Historie be charged ad even the best novel nthe wor il be On a pal copy ofthe real thing” For ble de Sadery on the ster tard, such artic Tormed the core of erry theory ind practice. Inthe preface to Tia, one of her mom complete theoretical statement se cle versiniiade the fundamen ‘ole of compan, To give greater versie to ths tel Ihe chose histone ecg wh ore racers. She. feed the custom laws reigns, and incatons” of the Pevples in her novel Her hors vernal ‘An it ths charming deceiver (le erable) dos ot dpe the mind in Novels such ltcrature wil digs rather than ‘wing Arsode and Horace, a o be simon ndixingushte inthis ay, dailstonment wil pou destroy the reader's plese as would i the les were obvious" In other words mked fe ‘on—puretesol do:Ftion must be masked the th of hry in erdor to be pleasurable, Mle de Scury cam to ‘spect vertude—n to we plable itor Cingein ‘order to lend an ai of eahenighy to her tion. Sut Hisar nt Fie History and Fetion inthe Reign of Lous XIV In the righ ofthe Sun King, erry rh changed in val. The valence ha hl rec ms ec tring 0 the genre eonfasion between the two. came to be