Premium
Louïze Labé Lionnoize: the making of an early modern author
Author(s) -
Amundsen Bergström Matilda
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
renaissance studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1477-4658
pISSN - 0269-1213
DOI - 10.1111/rest.12714
Subject(s) - tying , privilege (computing) , poetry , art history , space (punctuation) , face (sociological concept) , art , performance art , visual arts , literature , sociology , philosophy , law , computer science , political science , social science , linguistics , operating system
In this article, I discuss three central peritexts included in French poet Louise Labé’s Euvres de Louïze Labé Lionnoize, printed by Jean de Tournes in Lyon in 1555: the title page, the royal privilege, and a collection of celebratory poems. Arguing that the Early Modern book provided a space where women authors and their editors could engage with ongoing debates about women and their artistic capabilities, I analyse how the author figure Louise Labé is presented in these peritexts, tying that image to the contents of the book as well as to prevalent views on women authors. Highlighting the critique that a woman who published in print was likely to face, I argue that the peritexts can be connected to specific, sometimes traditional, sometimes unconventional, marketing strategies that correlate to Labé’s poetry and preface. In addition, I highlight the commercial aspects of the book, arguing that the peritexts were used to entice multiple types of readers (and buyers) to invest in the book.