Philippe de Mézières Rhétorique et poétique is an edited compilation of thirteen articles (four of which are in English and the others in French) dealing with a varied spectrum of issues concerning rhetoric in the works of this fourteenth century "Vieux Solitaire". This volume reflects the recent renewal of scholarly interest for the works of Philippe de Mézières, led by the collection's editor Joël Blanchard (edited with the collaboration of Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and Antoine Calvet). The recent interest in Philippe de Mézières' work was rekindled by Blanchard's important new edition of Philippe's most notorious masterpiece, the Songe du Viel Pelerin (2015), edited along with A. Calvet and D. Kahn, which replaced the problematic earlier edition, published by G. W. Coopland (1969). A first edited collection of articles, prepared with R. Blumenfeld, followed a year later, with a volume based on a conference dedicated entirely to the examination of Philippe's intellectual and historical context (2016), and a first critical edition, prepared along with A. Calvet, of the Oratio tragedica, (2019). Blanchard's aim in the book under review is to emphasize the rich arsenal of rhetoric and poetic means used by the former crusader. Although the book targets the theorization of Philippe the Mézières' poetic in general (referred to by Blanchard as the "Mézierian discourse", p. 9 or the "Mézierian poetic", p. 12 ), and does treat less known works throughout, it mainly focuses on theSonge, which is the sole subject of six articles, and is also examined in several other articles along with other works. While the focus on this opus magnum, to use Estelle Doudet's definition (119) is understandable, it would have been beneficial to achieve a better balance with his other works, at least with the Le livre de la vertu du sacrament de mariage, whose rich poetics crafts are not thoroughly represented in the two articles devoted to this somewhat neglected text.
The volume is divided into five parts, representing the five approaches intended to investigate Philippe's rhetoric and poetics in his works. The first part ("Rhetoric in All Its Forms") includes two articles dealing with the Songe. Maria Colombo Timelli studies its proverbiality, and Michelle Szkilnik its uses of rhymes and rhythm. Timelli emphasizes the importance of reopening the question that has been discussed exhaustively in past research, namely the intensive use of proverbs and proverbiality in this work, as scholars now have new tools at their disposal, including the new and improved critical edition, and the electronic databases that provide a much more comprehensive overview of existing proverbs. In the two appendices she provides, Timelli indexes the various proverbs (Appendix 1 contains proverbs introduced as such, while Appendix 2 presents "proverbial-like" expressions) and provides a valuable working tool for further investigation and analysis. Szkilnik convincingly proves, through a rich survey of the rhymes and rhetorical effects, which she defines as "colors of rhetoric", that Philippe de Mézières possessed an intentional artistic inclination, manifested by inner rhymes and a researched syntax. Therefore, the Songe should not be conjectured as an effort to "unrhyme" a previous work, as it was in previous research, but rather that it was initially meant to be a text in a sophisticated prose.
The second part ("Oratory Strategies") includes three articles. Sébastien Cazalas and Jean-Claude Mühlethaler study the specific role that the lamentation discourse, a well attested subject of medieval rhetoric, fulfilled in some of Philippe de Mézières works. Cazalas offers a comparative reading of epistles written by Philippe de Mézières and his contemporary, Jean Juvénal. The comparison is justified as the two were political advisors, diplomats and devout men, who, in order to influence the powerful men of their times, used to address them by epistles written in French. The article first deals with the rhetoric of pain, found in some of Philippe's epistles, and the two ways of expressing it in the lamentations, pathos (referred here as the "technical proof", la prevue technique, p. 79), and citation ("extra-technical proof", extra-technique), which manifests in both writers constant use of the scriptures. Following, Cazalas discusses the prevailing bodily and medical metaphors in the lamentations in Philippe's texts, which have a much more mystical tone than Jean Juvénal's.
Mühlethaler's article also practices a comparative reading. By referring to works by Honoré Bovet, it develops the idea that Philippe de Mézières used (hidden) satire, both in some of his epistles and in the Songe, as a means of expressing his anger and indignation at the world's evil and immoral conduct, and his search for consolation, which will be possible through contrition. Mühlethaler starts by examining two epistles (La chevalerie de la passion, and L'epistre lamentable) reiterating that the strength of the lamentation discourse in the epistles is in the emotive and personal expression of the orator (or writer). He continues by showing how similar effects (satire, blame, and lamentation) are integrated in the more complex Songe. The third article in this part is by Estelle Doudet, and deals with Philippe De Mézières' own vision of himself as an orator, a term whose semantics and significance in Middle French is discussed thoroughly, before investigating the different manners in which this term affects the Mézièrian poetics specifically.
The third part ("Mézièrian Hermeneutics") contain three articles about the allegorical discourses. Philippe Frieden begins by examining Armand Strubel's question as to whether the Songe should be considered as an allegorical work. Frieden approaches theSonge as such, but suggests that it should be examine from an exegetical perspective, rather than a poetical or rhetorical one. Frieden argues that although, in comparison to the perfection of the allegorical discourse in the influential Le roman de la rose, the allegorical expression Philippe de Mézière's text seems somewhat weaker, it offers "an exercise of reading". By this, Frieden is referring to a new way of reading the text, not merely as a "diverting" work. This approach, originated by French and Italian writers, encourages an hermeneutical reading, an exercise of textual deciphering no longer reserved solely for sacred texts. The songe now becomes an efficient instruction tool, intended to educate Charles V on different matters.
Daisy Delogu analyses the "allegorical program" (164) in the "parable of the talents" (Matthew, 25:14-30) in the Songe. Influenced by, or in continuation of, Gregory of Tours' interpretation of the parable, Philippe de Mézières uses it to comment on a variety of issues (economic, moral, and religious), and to persuade or guide his readers regarding spiritual truths that can be achieved or perceived by reading the text, and exegeting its allegories. The last article in this section is Andrea Tarnowski's study of the Songe's allegories, both rhetorically and visually, along with the Oratoi tragedica as "points of contemplation" (189). Tarnowski also believes that Philippe de Mézières guides his readers somewhat toward the reading and understanding of his text. This can be gleaned not only from the text itself, but also from the visual, "material side" (rubrics, titles, illuminations and the developed Table of Contents). She uses the matrix manuscript (library "l'Arsenal"), which was autographed and reworked by Le Solitaire, to comment on these paratextual functions in his mission.
The fourth part ("Theatricality and Rite") contains two articles. Helen Swift studies Philippe de Mézières' constant preparation for his own death in the Testament, not only as a personal concern, but also as a rhetorical question addressed to his readers, whomever they may be, (i.e. either from the secular milieu or not). The meditation on death is repeated in several of his works (in French and in Latin), leading to the conclusion that the Testament should not be regarded as a unique text, as it had been previously. The originality of this particular work lies in the detail and the ceremonial language with which Philippe describes death rituals. Adrian Armstrong studies the performativity in a sixteenth century theater play version of the story of Patient Griselda (based upon the French translation of Petrarch's version of Boccacio's last tale in theDecameron), by Philippe de Mézières in Le livre de la vertu du sacrament de mariage. The article aims to eventually reexamine the source, based on its insights regarding the transition from prose to versification and the elements of performativity. This is quite interesting in many ways. However, except for a somewhat superficial and brief comparison with Le livre, it remains focused on the play, and its place in this specific volume is unclear.
The final part ("The Poetics of Alchemy in Philippe de Mézières' Works") contain three articles dealing with the metaphorical figure of the alchemist, repeatedly used by Philippe. Catherine Gaullier-Bougassas' claims that in order to fully appreciate the meaning of the Songe and one of its great mysteries, i.e. why Philippe constantly refers to alchemy while he ideologically rejects it, it should be analyzed in the context of the prevailing "genre" of political guides for princes, "Books of Mirror", and the occult sciences. For that purpose she establishes a comparison between the Songe and the pseudo-Aristotelian Secretum secretorum (The Secret of Secrets). These two "mirrors" give two opposing examples of the ideal sovereignty, but Gaullier-Bougassas postulates that the latter is the "shadow" (253) of the former. Isabelle Fabre studies the fascinating, and somewhat neglected, Le livre de la vertu du sacrament de mariage. The particularity of this "treatise on marriage" is that it is not a satire on women, but rather a spiritual guide for married women, calling them to base their marriage on the model of the spiritual wedding of Christ with, alternatively, the Church, the Virgin, and the soul. Fabre analyzed the two central images used to convey the spiritual message. The garden is inspired by the allegorical garden of the Roman de la Rose, and the gems, the ruby and the diamond, represent, respectively, the Christ and his spouse. Joël Blanchard and Antoine Calvet close this part and the entire collection with an examination of the devotional Oratio Tragedica in which Philippe de Mézières meditates on Christ' passion and death. In his figurative search for the moral or ultimate medicine, Philippe de Mézieres turned here again to alchemy, and the article refers to the metaphoric world of apothecary.
Delving into this collection of these fine studies of Philippe de Mézières leaves no doubt that there is still much to be studied in this field. The spiritual, allegorical, and literary compositions hold great potential for academic research and meditation. The intricacies of the better-known works, such as the Songe, and especially Le livre de la vertu du sacrament de mariage, are far from being exhausted, and the less known works also deserve to be edited, translated and thoroughly studied. More importantly, there is no doubt that the book under review is an important contribution, which, as the editor comments on its cover, "will quickly become a reference tool," an indispensable basis for any researcher attempting to examine this fascinating subject.