Memory and Commemoration in Medieval Culture ed. by Elma Brenner, Meredith Cohen, Mary Franklin-Brown (review)

step toward social mobility, but knows all too well that in the current state of affairs, even those who try to “bouger,” or shake things up, face great difficulties. In order to move towards social equality, a first step would require that the“mobilités de ceux qui ont le courage de bouger soient fructueuses et fassent école dans les cités”(54). Begag’s solution for social equality therefore requires a society-wide effort: the dominant group must willingly open its doors to the daughters and sons of immigrants, and the latter have to be politically active in the reshaping of the nation. The length of the book, its accessible language, and in-text references make it an excellent supplementary text for intermediary to advanced French language courses. By exposing a number of factors that contribute to political lethargy in immigrant communities, Begag’s collection of essays would be an ideal companion text for French civilization courses, or for that matter, introductory courses in political science, sociology, international law or any course where subaltern issues constitute a major component of class discussion. University of Missouri Virginie Ems-Bléneau Brenner, Elma, Meredith Cohen, and Mary Franklin-Brown, eds. Memory and Commemoration in Medieval Culture. Burlington,VT: Ashgate, 2013. ISBN 978-14094 -2393-5. Pp. xvii + 354. $124.95. The sixteen essays of this collection, organized in five thematic sections, explore the many roles of memory and commemoration in determining social and religious practices in the Middle Ages, in France in particular and in other parts of Europe. Most of the chapters were originally presented as papers at a symposium of the International Medieval Society held in Paris in 2007 around the topic of “Memory.” The authors represent a diversity of disciplines from medieval art history and Old French literature to architecture and history of the Middle Ages. The topics examined harken back to the Carolingian period with the establishment of royal monasteries, through the central Middle Ages to conclude with nineteenth and twentieth-century memories of medieval France. This exploration of memory, which complements the growing scholarly interest in the subject over the past fifty years, attributes a central position to the remembrance of the past in medieval society and culture. It also examines the inspirational and sometimes exploitative interplay of the present—where memory is located—and the past—where events and personages being remembered or commemorated are situated. The act of remembering is considered a cognitive process, a way of knowing (memory), or a celebration, a memorialization of a person or an event (commemoration). Memory and commemoration are shown to be important for the historic, social, and even spiritual benefit of contemporary and future generations. The studies in this work explore the realm of high culture, encompassing aspects of daily life such as the motivation and patronage behind commemorative chapels attached to cathedrals, vernacular court poetry, and compilations of donors 244 FRENCH REVIEW 88.1 Reviews 245 to religious institutions. For example, Kate Maxwell’s “Quant j’eus tout recordé par ordre” focuses on Guillaume de Machaut’s poems and the motivation and role of memory in their creation.“Changes of Aristocratic Identity,” by Elisabeth van Houts, provides a refreshingly new look at women in medieval times and at their central role as keepers of family or ancestral memory and lore. Of particular interest to students of modern French culture,the last section offers three studies that look back at medieval France from much more recent times and demonstrate the important role imagination and motivation play in the functioning of historical memory. To paraphrase a question raised by Elizabeth Emery in “Pierre Loti’s ‘Memories’ of the Middle Ages,” how can someone without first-hand memories of the medieval past remember it well enough to recreate or bring it back to life in an authentic or truthful manner? Or, stated differently, how close to the original iteration of an event are imagined memories of past times? Aimed at students of the Middle Ages, this richly documented and well-illustrated volume provides provocative perspectives on the subjective role of remembrance of things past. The subjective memories of earlier times that are created are then transmitted down through the...