Is Martin Guerre a story of self-fashioning, and so an exemplary Renaissance tale?
The renaissance established a transformation on both an international scale and an individual scale. The celebration of intellect and revival of ancient Greek philosophy impacted European society and societal attitudes. With the lessening of papal power, government became increasingly more important in dictating temporal matters and the entire social structure of Europe was altered. While social hierarchy had always been a significant aspect of society, the humanist revolution and the promotion of individualism signified a change in attitudes regarding power and class. The story of Martin Guerre epitomises the effect of the renaissance on Europe and conveys
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By the sixteenth century humanism had spread from Italy to France and throughout the rest of Europe. In the area of Toulouse where Martin Guerre was from, humanism was initiated by the powerful family of the Dufaurs. The humanist concepts of the glory of man and, self-fashioning are present in the story of Martin Guerre. The story magnifies the effect of humanism and it’s affect on small towns. Martin Guerre’s return to his hometown after eight years of absence initiates controversy within the town, which leads to a court case. Martin Guerre’s wife and family immediately accepted that the man was indeed Martin Guerre and accepted him into the town life. Eventually conflict arose and Martin Guerre’s uncle contested that this is the real Martin Guerre. With the revelation of the court case with the discovery that the man was Arnaud Du Tilh when the real Martin Guerre returns there is the question of his wife’s faithfulness. Arnaud Du Tilh perpetuates the humanist ideals of self-fashioning through re-establishing his identity and consequently moving between hierarchical ranks. Arnaud Du Tilh’s reputation in his previous town was based on his drinking and gambling and he re-establishes his identity and reconstructs Martin Guerre’s tarnished reputation, which was already tainted before he had left the town. Arnaud Du Tilh as Martin Guerre becomes virtuous …show more content…
The humanist movement was hugely responsible for individual’s morals and belief system all across Europe. The operations of town life and community in France during the sixteenth century, was affected by the renaissance and reformation, and the transformation of European ideals as a result. The spread of the humanist ideology spread throughout Europe and affected temporal and religious attitudes. The story of Martin Guerre epitomises this affect of self-fashioning on a individual scale and Natalie Zemon Davis analyses this affect through the examination and interpretation of values and morals. Finlay’s criticism of Davis’s lack of concrete evidence is justified however Davis uses a contextual investigation to provide warranted interpretations in her reconstruction of the story of Martin Guerre. The story of Martin Guerre characterises the renaissance period through the portrayal of self-fashioning within Arnaud Du
The Return of Martin Guerre written by Natalie Davis gives the audience a rare glimpse into the world of peasant life in sixteenth century France. It also allows a modern day audience a chance to examine and to compare their own identities and questions of self. What makes the story so interesting to modern day viewers and readers is how relevant the story and the people in it are to our own times. This story is about a history of everyday people rather than royalty and generals, history's usual subjects.
Martin Guerre from Artigat had left his wife Bertrande and their son Sanxi and their inheritance to seek adventure in Spain as a mercenary. After leaving his family for nearly nine years a man claiming to be Martin returns to the village to claim his wife and land. Bertrande accepts the man as being her husband and they have another child together. Martin has a dispute with Pierre over the management of the family estate and ownership of the rents from Matins land during his absence. During their dispute a passing by veteran had claimed that "Martin" is not who he claims to be. He said that Martin had lost a leg at the battle of Saint Quentin and that he really was Arnaud de Tihl from a neighboring village. Both Martin and Arnaud had soldered together in the war, where they had became friends. The Guerre family was very divided over the story. Pierre and his sons-in-law believe the soldier's story, and Pierres daughters and Bertrande continue to believe "Martin" is Martin. As their ca...
The Return of Martin Guerre, written by Natalie Zemon Davis, is the tale of a court case that takes place in sixteenth century France. Martin Guerre is a peasant who deserted his wife and family for many years. While Martin Guerre is gone, a man named Arnaud du Tilh arrives at Martin’s village and claims to be Martin Guerre. Bertrande, who is Guerre’s wife, Guerre’s sisters, and many of the villagers, accepts the imposter. After almost three years of being happily married, Bertrande takes the fraud to court under pressure of Pierre Guerre, her stepfather and Guerre’s brother. Arnaud du Tilh is almost declared innocent, but the real Martin Guerre appears in the courthouse. Throughout this tale, many factors of the peasant life are highlighted. The author gives a very effective and detailed insight to a peasant’s life during the time of Martin Guerre. Davis does a successful job of portraying the peasant lifestyle in sixteenth century France by accentuating the social, cultural, and judicial factors of everyday peasant life.
In The Return of Martin Guerre, one man's impersonation of an heir from an influential peasant family in the French village of Artigat ultimately leads to his public execution. The tale of Arnaud du Tilh alias Pansette (meaning "the belly") is full of ironies, not the least of which is his death at the hands of a man who by some accounts harbored some admiration for the quick-witted peasant. Set in a time and place where a hardly discernible line separated proper behavior from that which was grounds for death, du Tilh was guilty of more than one serious charge. Yet he was well-known as a strong farmer, loving husband, shrewd rural-merchant, and eloquent speaker. Arnaud's actions are not the result of his own audacity, rather of something more universal, so universal its results can be seen in other historical figures from the text. Du Tilh assumed Martin Guerre's identity because doing so represented a unique opportunity to test the extent of his abilities and leave behind his presently troubled life.
Janet Lewis, the author of The Wife of Martin Guerre, illustrates what family dynamics were like in the sixteenth century, “…for the extend of his father’s lifetime Martin would legally remain a minor” whereas, women’s identity and importance were only known through their husbands. However, within this novel Bertrande de Rols, wife of Martin Guerre, is known as herself; this is to express that the novel was written according to her experience as the wife of Martin Guerre. Even though, it wasn’t acceptable for women to go forward with such accusations, Bertrande de Rols did the right thing pursuing Arnaud as an impostor because she knew he was not her husband despite what everyone else said. After all, she knew Martin best.
The noble class no longer held a monopoly on the valued positions in society. Rather, one was able to pursue wealth and fame through various endeavors ranging from artist to soldier. The most empowering change of this era was the dominance of a secular attitude and the decline of church absolutism. This secular viewpoint altered man’s reason for existence from an otherworldly quest to an intimate, immediate appreciation for that which exists on earth. Humanism is a primary source of individualism.
In early modern Europe, the 16th century presented a turning point in history where identities and values were challenged. Given the fluctuating state of identities, could the crisis of power centralization precipitate skepticism on the heroes of The Return of Martin Guerre? Can the monumental epistemological changes of the time (e.g. The Reformations and Counter Reformation, the rise of Protestantism, rational individualization in thought) be adequately conveyed or fully reflected using micro-histories?
After years of abandonment, an absent man presumed to be Martin Guerre appeared in front of a woman who longed for a strong love and different husband. An “obstinate and honorable” woman could no...
“In the renaissance era, individual success was held in high esteem in France due to the inflation of money in the economy, insecurity of power, and the downfall in politics during the change between kings” (Manimtim, Marcello.
Several individuals in this course displayed ideas that were different from the norm in their society. The dominant group or worldview in their society marginalized them, but they found ways to defy the dominant group or they created an alternative environment where they could pursue their goals without being affected by others. These individuals have utilized the past to base their actions for the goal of transforming the social order, however, there were problems that arose from the usage of the past. In The Return of Martin Guerre, Bertrande de Rols used her unfruitful marriage to start a new life based on her own choices, but her past life became mediated by the law and she could not continue her masked story when the truth was evident.
Bertrande got attracted to him and there is something in him, which makes her quickly accept the family's request to take him in as a husband. Moreover, he is a gentleman, great lover, good father, well educated, multi-talented also have much more tenderness and sensuality to have Bertrande's love at the end. Arnaud charmed the villagers and worked with them for their prosperity. He gave Bertrande the happiness and joy of marriage, which Martin had never given her. In the end Martin returns and Arnaud is executed due to the consequences of his lies and for being the imposter of Martin. It is a big loss for Bertrande, “but when hate and love have together exhausted the soul, the body seldom endure for long.” (93), the trial finds her an adulteress and unfaithful towards Martin. This is unfair because Martin`s family asked her accept the intruder. Bertrande is simply trying to do the right thing but has to suffer due to unwritten rules of our cruel
The period of the Renaissance changed a man's view of man. The Renaissance was a new life changing way for everyone in the middle ages for both men and women. A very important quote from the document “People saw themselves in a new way”. The build up of how the Renaissance started and this time is called the middle ages and was a period of time which stretched from 500 ce to about 1350 during the middle ages the Roman Catholic church and the Pope were primary players.For over 300 years Renaissance spread from Italy to Western Europe.The way it spread was like a car moving from place to place. The main question the document is asking is “How did Renaissance change man’s view of man “? One major key term in that question is Renaissance and “this means rebirth”. My main thesis is the way the renaissance has changed man’s view of man and
From his figurative window, Rousseau sees a Europe ravaged by conflicts resulting from supposedly peaceable and civilized institutions (111). He posits that the essentially problematic flaw, the cause of conflict, is a contradiction in modes of relating: while individuals live within a framework of enforced norms ("l...
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
The destruction that the French Revolution had exacted on the European consciousness was evident in the attitudes of the people most touched by the tumult of the era – people who came to realize that absolution was no longer a pertinent intellectual goal. The cold rationale of the Enlightenment was no longer adequate to explain the significance of life in a society where everything had so recently been turned upside down. Romanticism was the expression of this society’s craving for answers and fulfillment. Everywhere, people embraced life passionately and lived as... ... middle of paper ... ...