Framing the Early Modern French Best Seller

American Settings for François de Belleforest’s Tragic Histories

Bibliographic Data

ID10426428
AuthorsHervé–Thomas Campangne (University of Maryland, College Park, corresponding author), Hervé-Thomas Campangne
Year2018
Volume71
Issue1
Pages77-113
Publication date2018-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRenaissance Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-4338 • E-ISSN: 1935-0236
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/696889
OpenAlexW2793882324
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited23

This article shows how François de Belleforest (1530–83) adapted a variety of historical and geographical sources to meet the demands of the histoire tragique genre in composing three narratives set in the Americas. One recounts the destiny of conquistador Francisco Pizarro; another is the story of Marguerite de Roberval, who was allegedly marooned on a Canadian island; the third concerns Taino cacique Enriquillo’s heroic rebellion in 1520s Hispaniola. These narratives fostered a tragic image of the Americas that had a considerable influence on early modern readers, inviting them to ponder essential questions about European encounters with the American continent and its inhabitants

Archaeology · Art · Destiny (ISS module · Framing (construction · Literature · Manifest destiny · Narrative · Political science · Variety (cybernetics · Engineering · Historical and Literary Analyses · Historical and Literary Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law