Hartley, David

Dr. David Hartley studied French and German literature at the University of London, and taught in the French departments of the Universities of Cardiff and Aberdeen. He has published books, editions and articles on the French and Neo-Latin literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, principally the work of Joachim Du Bellay (1522-1560), and bibIiographical studies of the circumstantial poetry of this period. He retired from university teaching in 2004.

Critical Edition of the Circumstantial Verse of Joachim Du Bellay

2000 0-7734-7714-4
There was a wealth of patriotic verse composed during the reign of Henri II (1547-1559), Du Bellay’s contribution being the most significant. The events on which he commented were of major importance, culminating at the end of the reign with the capture of Calais and the accidental death of the King. This provides insight into the patriotic mentality of Du Bellay and the Pléïade poets, a vital element in their inspiration. The present edition brings together for the first time ten major poems on the events of the reign. Each poem is preceded by a short presentation placing it in its historical context. The text, based on the earliest known printing, is followed by an extensive commentary, providing full information on the historical, mythological and rhetorical framework of the poem, relating the poem to other work by Du Bellay and establishing points of comparison with other pieces on the same event by his fellow poets.

Nicolas Filleul's Le Discours

2005 0-7734-6185-X
The 117 sonnets of Nicolas Filleul's Discours are published here for the first time since their appearance in print in Rouen in 1560. The author was a minor provincial poet, who later had a successful career as a court poet and dramatist, frequently working in the service of the Queen Mother, Catherine dé Medici. The sonnets treat a diversity of themes. Filleul addresses poems to his two mistresses, aims satirical attacks at what he perceives as current abuses, and deals with a range of moral issues, speculating on the nature of honour and reputation, and the advantages of simple pleasures away from the life of the court. Among ancient authors, his principal model is Horace. He is also much indebted to Ronsard's love poetry and to Du Bellay's Regrets, published two years earlier and, like the Discours, combining the elegiac, the satirical and the moral. The purpose of the current edition is to make available to those interested in the field of sixteenth-century French poetry a collection of verse which only survives in the great collections of Paris libraries, and to facilitate the reading and appreciation of Filleul's first publication. While the sonnets may be uneven in quality, they are testimony to the variety and richness of the poetry of the time, and to the enthusiasm with which French poets embraced the revolution brought about by Ronsard and his colleagues.

Patriotism in the Work of Joachim du Bellay a Study of the Relationship Between the Poet and France

1993 0-7734-9265-8
This book analyzes the patriotism of the French poet as expressed in the prose and verse produced during his brief career (1549-1560). His prose manifesto La deffence et illustration de la langue françoise and his poetry are considered at length. An Appendix to the book sets the poet's considerable output of public verse against the events which inspired it. A second major focus is the effect of his residency in Rome on the formulation of his patriotism.