de Navarre

Pierre Bayle argued that de Navarre is a queen who “grant[s] her protection to people persecuted for opinions which she believes to be false; to open a sanctuary to them; to preserve them from the flames prepared for them; to furnish them with a subsistence.” While Bayle’s statement may be true, our selected readings of Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron neither support nor refute the claim.

With only a portion of the prologue and the eighth story for reference, Heptameron “deals above all with antagonism between the sexes, particularly concerning issues of marital fidelity and the status of women” (Puchner 1639). Parlamente, a noblewoman who probably represents de Navarre, asks Lady Oisille to suggest some form of entertainment for the group of five men and five women who are stuck at the Abbey, waiting for a bridge to be built across the river. Oisille is the oldest of the women, and Parlamente defers to her age and wisdom: “you have had much experience of life, and you now occupy the position of mother in regard to the rest of us women, and it surprises that you do not consider some pastime to alleviate the boredom and distress that we shall have to bear during our long stay here” (de Navarre 1640). Lady Oisille recommends copious Scripture reading and prayer, but the group prefers to keep that limited to mornings, so she suggests judging after open discussion. Parlamente tells the group to “concentrate on those which everybody can join in” (1641) in rebuttal to her husband’s desire for private activity. Hircan defers to Parlamente saying: “I accept her opinion as if it were my own” (1642). All the companions agree, and Parlamente tells them her idea. The prologue includes only pleasant interactions between the companions, giving the sense of congeniality and a democratic atmosphere. In presenting her idea, Parlamente begins name-dropping, mentioning the tales of Boccacio as a model for their activity. She also specifically mentions the King, Monseigneur the Dauphin, Madame the Dauphine, and herself, Madame Marguerite. All are in favor of the activity, and so story-telling begins the next day.

The eighth story is a tale of deception and marital infidelity. A husband’s attempt to cheat on his wife backfires, and he unwittingly “gives himself cuckold’s horns and [makes] himself look ridiculous for evermore” (1645). Banter among the company after hearing this story has some taking the side of the wife, others the husband, and Dagoucin professing an unrequited, unannounced, perfect love. Puchner asserts: “The courtly men and women who narrate and hear the stories are, to say the least, unafraid to disagree with each other about the tales’ significances, both in the frame and through their stories, which implicitly debate such issues as the just desserts for the philandering husband or the clever wife” (1639). Do these debates support de Navarre’s magnanimity and the protection she offered to those persecuted for their opinions, even when she disagreed? It is possible, but I think it is a stretch. While Heptameron does not deny Bayle’s claim, it does not actively support it.  

Works Cited

de Navarre, Marguerite. From The Heptameron.  The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Edited by Martin Puchner, Shorter 3^rd ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. pp. 1640-1647. 

Puchner, Martin. “Marguerite de Navarre.”  The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Edited by Martin Puchner, Shorter 3^rd ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. pp. 1637-1639.