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  • 'Lire l'"Histoire universelle"': journée d'hommage à la mémoire d'André Thierry, 4 février 2006
  • Keith Cameron
'Lire l'"Histoire universelle"': journée d'hommage à la mémoire d'André Thierry, 4 février 2006. Edited by Marie-Madeleine Fragonard, Marie-Dominique Legrand, and Gilbert Schrenck. (= Albineana: cahiers d'Aubigné, 19). Niort: Association des amis d'Agrippa d'Aubigné/Paris: Honoré Champion, 2007. 239 pp., ill. Pb €37.00.

It is fitting that the 2007 number of Albineana be devoted to the memory of André Thierry and that it complements the volume of 'mélanges' edited by Gilbert Schrenck in 2006 (Autour de l''Histoire universelle' d'Agrippa d'Aubigné (Geneva: Droz)). Thierry's monumental edition of the Histoire universelle (Droz, 1981–2000) was the fruit of a lifetime's interest and research into d'Aubigné, with whom he had much in common — both, for example, were protestants, résistants, and littéraires. The articles develop [End Page 237] aspects of the Histoire universelle highlighted by the new edition and evolving scholarship. Reading the Histoire is often a challenge, not only because of d'Aubigné's stylistic dynamics but also because of the narrative position he adopted. Olivier Pot, in his substantial contribution, traces the concept of 'universal history' from Polybius and examines how the idea of 'unitédu récit historique' (p. 23) was modified by the discoveries of the Renaissance, leading to an historical rather than a theological explanation of geography. Hence d'Aubigné, like Bodin, can be considered a 'géographistorien' (p. 43), presenting historical knowledge as a table, tableau, or as a list of events — a clarification that helps us understand his method. Claude-Gilbert Dubois, adding another dimension with his paper 'L'Organisation de l'espace dans l'Histoire universelle d'Agrippa d'Aubigné', considers the Histoire's principal quality to be its presentation of 'une image globale de l'Occident en un temps déterminé' (p. 142). Marie-Madeleine Fragonard concentrates on the Tronchin archives as an indication of how d'Aubigné gathered and obtained information. Perceptively, she raises a host of questions that reveal how much needs to be done to provide a clearer picture of the importance not just of what remains but of what is not present. Interpretation of d'Aubigné's text depends on an understanding of the terms and examples he employs. Hugues Daussy looks at the notion of 'parti' in the Histoire and concludes that, rather than being essentially a confessional grouping, it tends to refer to a political and military entity (p. 114); Jean-Raymond Fanlo studies the diverse meanings and varied registers of 'récits' in the third volume of the Histoire, whereas Madeleine Lazard underlines d'Aubigné's admiration and praise of the 'femmes combattantes'. The final three contributions illuminate important aspects of d'Aubigné's technique: Cécile Huchard illustrates the different narrative postures adopted by Simon Goulart and d'Aubigné when discussing the St Bartholomew's Day massacre; Nadine Kuperty-Tsur discusses the close relationship between Sa vie à ses enfants and the Histoire, where the difference between register and intention is clearly visible; similarly, in her analytical review of d'Aubigné's use of the prophecy of the wound to Henri IV's lip/tongue, Marie-Hélène Prat demonstrates how the author's frequent rewriting of the episode is closely linked with the chosen 'genre' and the message he wished to convey. These essays all provoke reflection and constitute a valuable contribution to our appreciation and understanding of the 'bouc du désert'.

Keith Cameron
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