Devaux, Jean
Pour Plus Fresche Memoire: The Didactic Role of History in the Moralized Roman de la Rose by Jean Molinet
- 2007.
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Beyond its properly exegetic dimension, Jean Molinet's moralized Roman de la Rose (ca. 1500) provides evidence of the moral and didactic impact of history in Burgundy. These moralities were intended to bring out the spiritual lessons hidden within a treatise on secular love, but some also invoke fifteenth-century historical events and characters, sometimes from the very recent past. In addition to references to the history of the neighboring kingdoms of France and England, the moralist selected key figures at the Burgundian court who, like traditional heroes, were deemed worthy of being used as examples by the nobility. From the tradition of fictional romance biographies to chroniclers' narratives, the historical genre developed a wide range of memorable deeds, which were offered to readers as models to be followed.