Maurice Scève, Délie

Elizaveta Lyulekina (CUNY Graduate Center)

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 1544

Places

France (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Délie. Object de plus haulte vertu [Délie: Object of Highest Virtue], the major work of the Lyonnais poet Maurice Scève, is the first canzoniere to appear in French. It was first published by Sulpice Sabon and Antoine Constantin in Lyon in 1544 with a privilege issued on 30 October 1543. In 449 decasyllabic dizains (ten-line poems), the poet recounts his love affair with a young woman whom he calls Délie. At the beginning of the volume, the poet describes the birth of love for his mistress. The moment of Petrarchan innamoramento becomes the main theme of the collection to which Scève constantly returns throughout the text. The poetic narrative c…

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3129 words

Citation: Lyulekina, Elizaveta. "Délie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 March 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38835, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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