The Poetry of Pierre Le Moyne (1602-1671)

The remarkable Jesuit poet Pierre Le Moyne has attracted increasing attention during recent years, and his achievement is being dramatically revalued after three centuries of neglect. This book undertakes, for the first time, a comprehensive study of all his poetry, and shows how, for all its richness and diversity, it is based on firmly-held artistic and moral principles, from which derive both its power and its unevenness. Le Moyne's forceful personality can be seen in his poetic theories, and in the way in which he absorbs and transforms a wide range of influences. His restless energy and bold imagination are evident throughout the detailed analysis of the poetry, covering its themes, its style, in particular the exceptionally rich imagery, and its prosody. Finally, there is an appendix on his extensive revisions which have never been thoroughly studied before. The book is illustrated with ten plates.