Author: -

Abstract: »The duality of love in L'Heptaméron by Marguerite de Navarre is based on the depiction of two diametrically opposed types of love. One elevates the soul towards God, while the other pulls it down to earthly matters, thus exposing the soul to baseness and depravity. The sacred and the profane are in constant competition within the collection of stories, highlighting the weakness of the human being, who, without God's help, cannot overcome their carnal desires. The narrators who take turns recounting the different stories contribute by commenting on the narrated events and sharing their own experiences in matters of love. These stories and discussions should be considered as mirrors reflecting the foundations of the human soul and, moreover, revealing the biases of the author. Being a follower of Neoplatonic philosophy, she transforms the discourse on love, seemingly tinged with bawdiness, into a discourse that leads to God and encourages the purity of being.« (Source: Complexus)

Contents:

	Résumé (p. 221)
	Abstract (p. 221)
	Introduction (p. 222)
	1- L’amour profane (vulgaire) : un amour destructeur (p. 223)
		1-1 Déshonneur et vilénie (p. 223)
		1-2 Le viol : un désir qui porte à la violence (p. 224)
		1-3 Quand l’amour a comme corollaire la mort (p. 225)
	2-L’amour parfait : vers une élévation de l’âme. (p. 225)
		2-1 Une amitié sincère ou l’amour courtois (p. 226)
		2-2 L’amour comme vecteur de la vertu (p. 227)
		2-3 De l’amour humain à l’amour divin (p. 227)
	3- Le discours sur l’amour ou le parti pris de l’écriture (p. 229)
		3-1 Les récits : un système de récompense et de châtiment (p. 229)
		3-2 Les devis : un discours dévoilant les secrets de la petite communauté des devisants-aristocrates (p. 231)
		3-3 L’Heptaméron : œuvre grivoise ou moralisante ? (p. 232)
	Conclusion (p. 234)
	Bibliographie (p. 234)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of France / France in the Middle Ages | Literature: French literature / Marguerite de Navarre | Literature: Fiction about rape / Heptaméron | Sex and the law: Rape / History of rape