Les Bigarrures du Seigneur des Accords: Quatrième Livre avec les apophthegmes du Sr Gaulard (review)

Étienne Tabourot emerges from this volume as a maverick presence in sixteenth-century French writing who constantly subjects literary conventions to a playful interrogation. The bigarrure, a genre invented by Tabourot, is a discursive piece of prose found somewhere between the conteand the essai. It bears witness to the preoccupations of its literary context, drawing inspiration from both Rabelais and Montaigne whilst displaying humanist erudition. This fourth book, which followed the publication of the first (books two and three apparently never materialized) contains musings on four subjects: children's education, people who change their surnames (for social advancement), versification and witchcraft. Each bigarrureoffers a sustained reflection on an issue of the day whilst also demonstrating the particularities of a nascent and poorly defined genre. Collectively they add another contextual layer to more canonical texts, such as Montaigne's Essais, which treat many of the same subjects. Also included here are the Apophthegmes du Sr Gaulard, which appeared in print for the first time in 1585 alongside the Bigarrures. They comprise some 237 witty sayings by the fictional Sr Gaulard, many of which achieve their comic effect through play on the artifice of representational strategies, both verbal and visual. For example, looking at a painting of a young couple which is nearing completion Gaulard asks the artist to paint him into the background, so he can hear what the young lovers are talking about. A certain number of these 'jokes' do not withstand the test of time, relying too heavily on their social and cultural contexts to provoke a belly laugh in the modern-day reader. However, this volume, a collective edition by the Groupe Renaissance et Âge Classique based at Lyon II, is a welcome addition to current scholarship. It not only provides the first critical edition of the both of the works, but also demonstrates admirably the benefits of collaborative research. Each individual bigarrurehas a substantial introduction written by a different member of the project team, as do the Apophthegmes, and both works share an extensive glossary. The Apophthegmesalso benefit from lengthy 'fiches lexicales', which explain in admirable detail Tabourot's sometimes perplexing use of language. This fusion of different critical perspectives provides a stimulating and comprehensive guide to reading the works.