The Shadow of Dante in French Renaissance Lyric

This book presents an interpretation of Maurice Scves lyric sequence Dlie, object de plus haulte vertu (Lyon, 1544) in literary relation to the Vita nuova, Commedia, and other works of Dante Alighieri. Dantes subtle influence on Scve is elucidated in depth for the first time, augmenting the allusions in Dlie to the Canzoniere of Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca). Scves sequence of dense, epigrammatic dizains is considered to be an early example, prior to the Pliade poets, of French Renaissance imitation of Petrarchs vernacular poetry, in a time when imitatio was an established literary practice, signifying the poets participation in a tradition. While the Canzoniere is an important source for Scves Dlie, both works are part of a poetic lineage that includes Occitan troubadours, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti, and Dante. The book situates Dante as a relevant predecessor and source for Scve, and examines anew the Petrarchan label for Dlie. Compelling poetic affinities emerge between Dante and Scve that do not correlate with Petrarch.