This Master's Thesis studies the theme of the stroll (promenade) and the various metaphors it inspires in a selection of humanist works from the 16th and 17th centuries. Furthermore, it attempts to show that the image of the promenade acts as an emblem to various intellectual trends here united under the concept of openness. The diverses uses of the promenade are each considered to be emblematic of a level of ouverture which, in turn, forms the subject of a section of the thesis: I. Openness to the world, where the theme of the stroll is studied in relation to another great humanist commonplace: that of the "book of the world"; II. Openness to the other, where, with special emphasis on Jacques Tahureau's Dialogues (published in 1565), the promenade is shown to be emblematic of the sociability so highly regarded by humanists; III. Rhetorical openness, where, with particular emphasis on Montaigne's Essays (published between 1580 and 1595) and Etienne Pasquier's Letters (published between 1585 and 1619), are examined the rhetorical meanings of the promenade; and finally IV. Philosophical openness, where, with particular emphasis on Francois La Mothe Le Vayer's La Promenade (published between 1662 and 1664), the emblem of the stroll is shown to be inextricably linked to philosophical skepticism. A brief epilogue points to the literary future of the promenade and links the aesthetics of humanist openness to some contemporary epistemological trends.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.26755 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Prévost, Maxime. |
| Contributors | Doiron, Normand (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | French |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Département de langue et littérature françaises.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001558503, proquestno: MQ29565, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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