Villon's Last Will

The Testament has been avidly exploited by historians of the 15th century, but there have been few attempts to show why it is interesting as literature. Tony Hunt concentrates exclusively on the textual strategies of the work, in particular with rhetorical techniques involving dialogue and irony. The Testament is viewed as ironic from start to finish and the main objects of the irony are identified as language and authority. The dissolution of meaning , authority, and even authorial identity are seen to be the principal results of the poet's rhetoric.