COMIC PROVOCATIONS:

EXPOSING THE CORPUS OF OLD FRENCH FABLIAUX

Edited by

Holly A. Crocker
Foreword by

R. Howard Bloch

COMIC PROVOCATIONS

Holly A. Crocker, 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2006 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martins Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 9781403970435 ISBN-10: 1403970432 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Comic provocations : exposing the corpus of old French fabliaux / Holly A. Crocker, editor; R. Howard Bloch, foreword. p. cm.(Studies in Arthurian and courtly cultures) Includes index. ISBN 1403970432 (alk. paper) 1. FabliauxHistory and criticism. 2. French poetry To 1500History and criticism 3. Humorous poetry, FrenchHistory and criticism. 4. Tales, MedievalHistory and criticism I. Crocker, Holly A. (Holly Adryan), 1971 II. Series. PQ207.C63 2006 841 .03dc22 Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: August 2006 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. 2005057925

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

CONTENTS

Foreword: R. Howard Bloch Acknowledgments Note on Texts and Translations Introduction: The Provocative Body of the Fabliaux Holly A. Crocker Part 1 Imaginative Generation 1. The Lewd and the Ludic: Female Pleasure in the Fabliaux Lisa Perfetti 2. Of Monsters and Men: The Power of Female Imagination in Les quatre Sohais Saint Martin Susanne Hafner 3. Go-Betweens: The Old Woman and the Function of Obscenity in the Fabliaux Nicole Nolan Sidhu Part 2 Anxious Circulations 4. Coprus [sic] Christi: The Scatological Tales of the Fabliaux Sheila J. Nayar 5. Dressing the Undressed: Clothing and Social Structure in Old French Fabliaux Mary E. Leech 6. Conflicting Economies in the Fabliaux Christian Sheridan 7. Mobility and Resentment in a World of Flux: Arrogance in the Old French Fabliaux Kiril Petkov

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CONTENTS

Part 3 Mobile Formations 8. Be careful what you wish for: Folkloric Caution in the Fabliaux Ellen Lorraine Friedrich 9. Chaucers French Accent: Gardens and Sex-Talk in the Shipmans Tale Peter G. Beidler 10. Rude Theory: The Rough Trade of the Fabliaux Cary Howie 11. Creative Choices: Notes on Translating the Old French Fabliaux Nathaniel E. Dubin Notes on Contributors Index of Fabliaux Index 131

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