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Book/Printed Material The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart. Le livre du Coeur d'amour épris

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About this Item

Title

  • The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart.

Other Title

  • Le livre du Coeur d'amour épris

Summary

  • Written in 1457, Le livre du Coeur d'amour épris (The book of the love-smitten heart) is an allegorical romance by King René of Anjou (1409-80). The text in verse and prose recounts the quest for love of the knight Heart who, in a dream, leaves with Desire in search of his lady, Mercy. This amorous journey combines the knight's studies and his personal memories. The tone is that of a disenchanted man at the end of his life, for whom courtly love and desire both amount to obstacles and suffering. The work combines features of the Arthurian novels in prose and allegorical poems in the style of the Roman de la Rose. The poem may have been written for someone within René's inner circle. The 71 miniatures might not have been created when the manuscript was written. This copy, from the National Library of France, is one of only six extant manuscripts of the work.

Names

  • René I, King of Naples and Jerusalem, 1409-1480 Author.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1457 to 1499]

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  1457 to 1499
  • -  Allegory
  • -  French poetry
  • -  Knights and knighthood
  • -  Literature, Medieval
  • -  Miniatures (Illuminations)
  • -  Poetry
  • -  René I, King of Naples and Jerusalem, 1409-1480
  • -  Romances

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 138 folios ; 310 x 215 millimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in Middle French (ca. 1400-1600).
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Illuminated Manuscripts from Europe

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668068

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

René I, King Of Naples And Jerusalem, Author. The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499, 1457] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668068/.

APA citation style:

René I, K. O. N. A. J. (1457) The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668068/.

MLA citation style:

René I, King Of Naples And Jerusalem, Author. The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499, 1457] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668068/>.