Noël du Fail
Encyclopedia
Noël du Fail, seigneur de La Hérissaye (c. 1520, on the family property of Château-Letard - 1591, Rennes
), was a French
jurist and writer of the Renaissance
. His collections of tales
are an important document of rural life in the sixteenth century in Brittany
.
family, studied law and obtained an office at the provincial courts in Rennes
in 1552. As magistrate, he wrote a collection of legal decisions from the Brittany
parliament, Mémoires recueillis et extraits des plus notables et solennels arrests du Parlement de Bretagne (1579).
Du Fail is best known today for being one of the principal French story writers of the Renaissance, and especially as the author of the Propos rustiques (1547), a work which describes the life of two villages near Rennes (Vindelles and Flameaux) and, through the memories of four old peasant
s, gives portraits of some of their memorable inhabitants. Alternating between a bucolic portrait and Rabelaisian humor, the complex, linguistically rich and often satirical
work defies easy interpretation. It is also one of the few works of the period to be entirely centered on peasant life.
His later texts—Baliverneries d'Eutrapel (1548) and Les Contes et Discours d’Eutrapel (1585)—are in roughly the same vein, but with noble characters at the center of the works: the prudent Polygame, the trickster Lupold and the joyous Eutrapel. The dialogue of the three men, mixing both moral
reflection and irony
, serves as a frame for a series of fable
s and descriptive portraits. The short comic tales and anecdotes are at first glance merely amusing, but behind their light tone, verbal fantasy and amusing portraits lie profound moral, political and religious reflections (du Fail has been suspected of converting to Protestantism
), linking du Fail to the other great humanists
and story writers of Renaissance, such as Montaigne and Rabelais.
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
), was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
jurist and writer of the Renaissance
French Renaissance
French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians believe originated in northern Italy in the fourteenth century...
. His collections of tales
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
are an important document of rural life in the sixteenth century in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
Biography
Noël du Fail was born into a rural nobleFrench nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
family, studied law and obtained an office at the provincial courts in Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
in 1552. As magistrate, he wrote a collection of legal decisions from the Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
parliament, Mémoires recueillis et extraits des plus notables et solennels arrests du Parlement de Bretagne (1579).
Du Fail is best known today for being one of the principal French story writers of the Renaissance, and especially as the author of the Propos rustiques (1547), a work which describes the life of two villages near Rennes (Vindelles and Flameaux) and, through the memories of four old peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s, gives portraits of some of their memorable inhabitants. Alternating between a bucolic portrait and Rabelaisian humor, the complex, linguistically rich and often satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
work defies easy interpretation. It is also one of the few works of the period to be entirely centered on peasant life.
His later texts—Baliverneries d'Eutrapel (1548) and Les Contes et Discours d’Eutrapel (1585)—are in roughly the same vein, but with noble characters at the center of the works: the prudent Polygame, the trickster Lupold and the joyous Eutrapel. The dialogue of the three men, mixing both moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
reflection and irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, serves as a frame for a series of fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
s and descriptive portraits. The short comic tales and anecdotes are at first glance merely amusing, but behind their light tone, verbal fantasy and amusing portraits lie profound moral, political and religious reflections (du Fail has been suspected of converting to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
), linking du Fail to the other great humanists
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and story writers of Renaissance, such as Montaigne and Rabelais.
Quotes
- "God gives goodness to men and not men to goods" ("Dieu donne du bien aux hommes et non des hommes aux biens") in Baliverneries ou Contes nouveaux d'Eutrapel
- "When the purse becomes tight, the mind grows larger" ("Quand la bourse se rétrécit, la conscience s'élargit" ) in Baliverneries ou Contes nouveaux d'Eutrapel
- "When goods are offered, they are already half sold." ("Marchandise offerte est à demi vendue") in Baliverneries ou Contes nouveaux d'Eutrapel
Original editions
- Propos rustiques de maistre Léon Ladulfi, champenois, Lyon, Jean de Tournes, 1547, in-8°
- Baliverneries d’Eutrapel, Paris, 1548.
- Les Contes et Discours d’Eutrapel, par le feu seigneur de la Herissaye gentilhomme breton, Rennes, Noël Glamet de Quinpercorentin, 1585, 8°.
Modern editions
- Propos rustiques de maistre Leon Ladulfi champenois, 1547, critical edition by Arthur de La Borderie with variants from the editions of 1548, 1549, 1573, Paris, Lemerre, 1878 (republished by Slatkine reprints, 1976).
- Propos rustiques de maistre Leon Ladulfi champenois, 1549, edition and introduction, notes et glossary by G.-A. Pérouse and R. Dubuis, Geneva, Droz, 1994.
- Propos rustiques, translation in modern French by Aline Leclercq-Magnien, Paris, Jean Picollec editions, 1988.
- Propos rustiques and Baliverneries in Conteurs français du XVIe siècle, Pierre Jourda, editor, Gallimard, La Pléiade, 1965.
External links
- Contes et discours, 1587 edition Gallica (in French)
- Contes et discours, Jouaust edition Gallica (in French)
- Œuvres de du Fail, éd. Assezat Gallica (in French)
- Contes et discours, éd. Guichard Gallica (in French)
- Extracts from Baliverneries ou contes nouveaux d'Eutrapel (in French)