Title: <i>Le Président libertin</i>: The Poetry of François Maynard after the Trial of Théophile de Viau
Abstract: The poet François Maynard is remembered as a disciple of Malherbe, a one-time member of Théophile de Viau's libertin entourage, and a master of the epigram. Yet he is also known for having abandoned Théophile during the latter's trial in order to focus his efforts on his political career and on perfecting his poetry. The purpose of this article is to suggest that, contrary to the popular notion of a linear progression in Maynard's life from a libertin to a devout statesman, Maynard was interested in pursuing political alliances before Théophile's trial and fond of composing obscene and irreligious poetry long after Théophile's death. Beginning with a description of the dominant discourse surrounding Maynard's biography at the time of Théophile's trial, this article presents neglected archival evidence attesting to Maynard's earlier moves to ally himself with powerful families of Toulouse's legal classes. It then explores Maynard's apparently libertin poems, appearing in manuscripts unpublished during his lifetime, that were composed after Théophile's trial. The article concludes by suggesting that Théophile's trial may have led Maynard to restrict the dissemination of his libertin verse to manuscripts shared between trusted friends, but that it did not cause him to cease composing such poems entirely.
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-07-03
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 2
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