Marguerite de Navarre, Miroir de l'âme pécheresse [Mirror of the Sinful Soul]

Jeff Kendrick (Virginia Military Institute)

Ed. by Robert J. Hudson, Brigham Young University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.02: French Writing and Culture in the Renaissance, 1400-1600.
Vol. editors: Robert J. Hudson (Brigham Young University), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), Phillip John Usher (New York University), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1531 - 1547

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)
Religion and Spirituality (any)
- Religious writing

Resources

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Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1547) – best known today for her unfinished collection of short stories, the

Heptaméron

– was more closely associated during her lifetime with her theatrical works and spiritual poetry, including the 1531

Miroir de l’âme pécheresse

[Mirror of the Sinful Soul] (henceforth

Miroir

). While perhaps seemingly a disorganized expression of spiritual uncertainty and ecstasy to today’s modern reader, the poem’s importance not only in the development of Marguerite’s own spirituality, but also in the history of French religious publication, calls for a deeper investigation of its composition, form, and themes.

As one of the earliest religious texts printed in the vernacular, the Miroir’s publication history merits our attention. First presented to the

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2293 words

Citation: Kendrick, Jeff. "Miroir de l'âme pécheresse". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 January 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38824, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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