Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies (Vol. 1&2)
Renaissance Court Memoirs of Noblewomen, Queens, Gallantry, Intrigue, and Aristocratic LoveBy Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
Length25h 34m
About this audiobook
In *Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies*, Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme assembles a vivid gallery of women whose beauty, wit, erotic independence, and political influence animate the courts of Renaissance France and beyond. Drawing on memoir, anecdote, hearsay, classical exempla, and personal observation, the work resists the conventions of both formal historiography and moral treatise. Its conversational, digressive prose moves freely between admiration, scandal, satire, and reflection, revealing how reputation and desire are negotiated in aristocratic society. Across these two volumes, Brantôme's portraits preserve the contradictions of courtly femininity: women appear as objects of praise, agents of intrigue, arbiters of taste, and figures capable of challenging masculine authority. The book is therefore best read not as a systematic history, but as a richly textured document of Renaissance mentalities and literary culture. Born Pierre de Bourdeille, Brantôme (c. 1540–1614) was a soldier, courtier, traveler, and writer whose intimate access to noble households supplied the observations and stories that distinguish his memoirs. His military service and prolonged association with the French court acquainted him with the dynastic rivalries, sexual politics, and ceremonious codes underlying elite life. Written during an age fascinated by classical precedent, humanist learning, and the preservation of personal memory, these portraits reflect both Brantôme's curiosity and his delight in conversation, performance, and worldly experience. His perspective is unmistakably male and aristocratic, yet his sustained attention to women's voices and actions makes the work an important, if problematic, counterpoint to conventional political histories. Readers interested in Renaissance France, gender history, courtly culture, memoir, or the development of anecdotal prose will find these volumes exceptionally rewarding. Brantôme's frankness can be startling, and his judgments demand critical attention, but precisely this mixture of gossip, testimony, fantasy, and social observation gives the book its enduring power. It is recommended as both an engaging literary portrait gallery and a valuable primary source for understanding how early modern Europe imagined female beauty, sexual conduct, honor, and authority.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length25 hrs 34 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 18, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Life of the Caterpillar (Annotated)
263. Of the Power of Sight in Love
2Dedication To Monseigneur Le Duc D’alençon of Brabant and Count of Flanders
271.
3Regretting The Death of the Duc D’alençon
282.
4Historical Note
294.
5First Discourse
30Third Discourse
Show all chaptersShow less
61.
311.
72.
322.
83.
33Fourth Discourse
94.
341.
105.
352.
116.
363.
127.
374.
138.
385.
149.
39Notes and Appendices
1510.
40Appendix—A. BRANTÔME: By Arthur Tilley
1611.
41Appendix—B. BRANTÔME: By George Saintsbury
1712.
42Notes to Volume I
1813.
43Introduction
1914.
44Fifth Discourse
2015.
451.
2116.
462.
22Second Discourse
473.
23Introduction
484.
241. Of the Sense of Touch in Love
495.
252. Of the Power of Speech in Love
506.
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