DARKNESS AND LIGHT IN L'ASTREE

BY

Clara Krug

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Romance and Classical Languages and Literatures

1978

ABSTRACT
DARKNESS AND LIGHT IN L'ASTREE
By
Clara Krug

This study demonstrates that LfAstree is a Baroque
literary work in theme, narrative structure, and the use
of darkness and light. The first chapter describes the
elements that d'Urre selects from medieval, Neoplatonic,
and pastoral love. The succeeding chapter presents the
basic structural model according to which each story
unfolds. The remaining three chapters detail the changes
of lighting that reflect the various emotional stages of
the love story of Astree and Celadon. The change of
illumination from the bright light of day to almost com-
plete darkness, Chiaroscuro, and, finally, to pure light
reflects variations of contentment and mutual despondency,
of emotional uncertainty, and of divinely sanctioned love.
Darkness and light both reinforce the various stages of
the love of Astree and Celadon and the structural devel-
opment of the romance that provides the ultimate example

of Honore d'UrfeIs concept of ideal love.

For Mother and Russell

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Professor Marlies Kronegger, who directed my work,
Professors Ann Tukey Harrison and Nicholas De Mara, who
made invaluable suggestions at each of its stages, and
Professor Donald Treat of the Department of Theatre,
who contributed comments and questions during my defense
of the dissertation. I also appreciate the consideration
of the countless friends who offered encouragement and
understanding from the beginning of research in December,
1975, until the completion of the dissertation in June,

1978.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ITITRODUCTIOI‘I o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0

CHAPTER I: THE BACKGROUND OF HONORE D'URFE'S
CONCEPT OF LOVE. . . . . . .

Medieval Courtly Love . . . . .
Neoplatonism. . . . . . . . . .
Pastoral Love . . . . . . . .
Conclusion. . . . . . . .

CHAPTER II: MODELS FOR PICTORIAL CHIAROSCURO AND
STRUC TUP AL AMBIGUITY AND THEIR FUNCTION
IN L‘ASTREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Model for Pictorial Chiaroscuro .

The SiX~ Part Model for Structural
Ambiguity. . . . . . . . . .

Structural Ambiguity in the Episodes
of LI'Astrée. . . . . . . . . . .

CHAPTER III: CELADON'S DESCENT INTO DARKNESS. . . .

Light as /a Reflection of Astrge's
./ and Celadon' 5 Happiness. . . .
Celadon' 5 Successful Effort at Self-
Annihilation . . . . . .
Darkness as an Initial Reflection of
the Fourth Structural Element. . .
A Compromise: Celadon's Abandonment
of Darkness for Chiaroscuro. . .

CHAPTER IV: CHIAROSCURO: EMOTIONAL TENSION AND
SETTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Disguise and Role Exchange. . . .

Appearance and Reality as Causes of
Suffering. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chiaroscuro as a Reflection of the
Fourth Structural Element. . . . .

CHAPTER V: FROM CHIAROSCURO TO PURE LIGHT . . . .

A Final Moment of Chiaroscuro . . . .

15
21

33

1+0
43
1+9
53
6 3

73

82
90

97
98
101
105
112

. 11A

The End of the Fourth Structural

Element . . . . . . 116
Pure Light as the Reflection of the

Sixth Structural Element. . . . . . . 122

CONCLUS 1011 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 l2 9

APPENDIX: RECURRENCE AND INTERCALATION OF LOVE
STORIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1AA

vi

INTRODUCTION

This study will investigate the usage of darkness
and light that contributes to the Baroque structural and
thematic development of LfAstrée. From approximately 1580
to 1660, the social, religious, political, and aesthetic
upheaval in French and European society found reflection
in the artistic style known as the Baroque. Speaking of
this period in general, historian Carl Friedrich first
establishes as an analogy for its style ”two magnetic
poles Operating within a common field of ideas and feelings
. . . focused on movement, intensity, tension, force."1
The first works to compare and contrast the Renaissance/
Classical and Baroque styles in the fine arts were Heinrich
Woelfflin's Renaissance and Baroque and Fundamental Prin-
ciples of Art History. After pronouncing in the former
that the general impression with which any Baroque work of
art leaves him is "the unrest of change and the tension of

transience,"2

in the latter, he specifies five distinctions
between Renaissance and Baroque art. He first notes that,
while Renaissance artists isolate objects with volumes and
outlines, they merge for the painterly eye of the Baroque

artist. The substitution of depth for a sequence of

planes constitutes the second change. In addition, although

2
Renaissance art creates closure which balances horizontal
vertical lines, Baroque art Opens a composition by empha-
sizing one side more than another. Fourthly, while
Renaissance art uses light which clearly demarcates each
section of a painting, Baroque illumination does not dis-
tinctly define form. Finally, as the result of the four
remaining techniques, rather than allow parts of a compo-
sition to remain independent, the Baroque artist subordi-
nates them to the whole.3 Since Woelfflin's two critical
works investigate only the visual arts, it is necessary
to turn elsewhere for an analysis of European literature.
In French criticism, Jacques Ehrmann has arrived at speci-
fic characteristics of the Baroque:
On a parle a prOp s de baroque d'exageration, de
mouvement, de theatralite, de dedoublement, de feinte,
d 'instabilite sans borne, de clair- -obscur, d‘ homme
ouvert, de metamorphose, de rupture de l'e equilibre ,
entre l'intelligence et la sensibilite, de surrealite,
de deformationude la vision du monde travers
1'imagination.
This literary critic mentions some of the same criteria as
the two historians: like Friedrich, he speaks of movement;

like Woelfflin, he speaks of instability, Openness, and a

light so uncertain that it appears both bright and dark.

Honorg dVUrfg spent much of his life in surroundings

which willingly received Baroque tendencies and then contri-

buted to their further development:

we might assume almost a priori that he was
interested in beauty and art; for . . . his
naturally artistic temperament found ideal oppor—
tunities for development from family traditions, 5
surroundings, association, education, and travels.

3

Born in La Bastie in the Forez section of the Loire Valley,
d'Urfe spent his early years at his family's mansion in a
decor comprised largely of works of art of the Italian Ren-

6

aissance and Baroque. He was immersed in art forms which
were not necessarily representative of the dominant French
style of the day. Surrounded by a vast library of works in
several languages, he enjoyed access to the poetry and drama
of the Italian literary Baroque--a style Which was only
beginning to penetrate French letters. Studies at the
CollEge de Tournon, years in the service of the Duke of
Savoy, and travel through southern France and northern Italy
removed him from the center of French culture at Paris and
continually brought him into contact with Baroque works of
literary and fine art. In his later years, he spent much
time in Italy and was participating in a military campaign
near Genoa when he died. Until his secretary arranged to
have his body transported to La Bastie, d‘Urfg was buried
in Torino, Italy.

The influence that these surroundings exerted on
Honore’d‘Urfe is evident in his incorporation of paintings
in the development of L'Astree. In her dissertation, Mary
Mac Mahon maintains that:

this kinship of/the arts is strikingly illustrated
by Honore d'Urfe between literature and painting,
some of the episodes being entirely told through
the medium of pastoral pfictures representing the
high points of interest.

Specifically, on a less important scale, d‘Urfe provides de-

tailed verbal description of portraits adorning the walls of

L,

the Palais d'Isoure and Adamas' home among others. Of major
importance is his account of six paintings which Celadon and
Adamas encounter in a grotto during a walk in the forest
early in the novel. In the manner that the story repre-
sented by this series of paintings furnishes a structural
model throughout L'Astree, the painting techniques mentioned
there provide a stylistic model. Especially in three of

the six paintings, he is "interested in light, color and

all the illusions of the art of painting that may satisfy
the eye of the spectator."8 In short, he is interested in
the apparently fluctuating light in which brightness in-
trudes upon and alternates with darkness. In art, this
lighting technique is termed Chiaroscuro and is attributed
to Baroque painting.

It is acknowledged that Honore d'Urfe uses the
Baroque painting technique of Chiaroscuro in his novel. He
describes paintings in which Chiaroscuro is obvious and de-
velOps plot lines for which environmental Chiaroscuro pro-
vides a background. Only if Chiaroscuro comprises an inte-
gral part of both theme and structure may one consider
‘L'Astree a "Baroque" creation.

Previous studies of L'Astree have concentrated on
its treatment of various aspects of love, its religious
significance, or its nature as a roman §_gle£. “Unlike them,
for the first time, by examining how Honore dVUrfe'utilizes
the Baroque technique of Chiaroscuro to support and deveIOp

the individual structure of the major love story, the

5
structure of the whole, and, through them, the theme of the

novel, this study will demonstrate that LfAstree is a
Baroque literary work. The first chapter describes the
elements that d'Urfe selects from medieval, Neoplatonic, and
pastoral love and then synthesizes to fashion his own origi-
nal concept. The succeeding chapter presents the basic
structural model according to which each of the love stories
unfolds before it is resolved. The remaining three chapters
detail the changes of lighting that reflect the various
emotional stages of the love story of Astree and Celadon.
The change of illumination from the bright light of day to
almost complete darkness, Chiaroscuro, and, finally, to pure
light reflects variations of contentment and mutual despon-
dency, of emotional uncertainty, and of divinely sanctioned
love. Darkness and light both reinforce the various stages
of the love of Astree and Celadon and the structural devel-
Opment of the romance that provides the ultimate example of

Honore’d'Urfels concept of ideal love.

6

Notes

lCarl Friedrich, The Age of the Baroque, 1610-1660
(lst ed., rev.; New York: Harper and Row, 1962), p. 39.

2Heinrich Woelfflin, Renaissance and Baroque, trans.
by gathrin Simon (London: William Collins and Sons, 196%),
p. 2.

3Heinrich Woelfflin, Fundamental Principles 2£.A££
History, trans. by M. D. Hottinger (7th ed.; New York:
Dover Publications, 1929). Since the five principles are
presented throughout the text, no precise page reference
1s given.

LPJacques Ehrma ,.Un Paradis dééeSDEEéi LfAmour gt
lfillusion dans LfiAstree (Paris: Presses universitaires,
1953), p. 3. Among others establishing criteria for Baroque
literature are Imbrie Buffum [Studies in the Baroque from
Montaigne tg_Rotrou (New Haven; Yale University Press,
1957)], Jean Rousset [La Litterature de lfage baroque en
France: Circe’et 1e p§5n (Paris: JdEE Corti, 1953)T, and
Helmut Hatzfeld—TIiterature through Art: A_New Approach to
French Literature (New York: Oxford University Press,

1952)].

5Mary Map Mahon, ”Aesthetics and Art in the Astree
of Honore'd'Urfe" (unpublished Ph. D. dissertation, Catholic
University, 1925), p. 39.

6Maxime Gaume describes in some detail the setting
in which Honore d'Urfe spent his early life and to which he
sometimes returned in later years:

”la‘salle de fréfcheur de la Bastie [etait] si /
celebre par ses nymphes, ses etres etranges figes
ou.grima ants, ses entrelacs de cailloux ocre paleé
bleu cen re ou.vieux rose. Ce chateau qui, au XVI
sie 1e, passait pour 1e plus beau du Forez, etait
orne d'oeuvres d'art. Dans la chapelle, 1e luxe et
la finesse de l'art italien ravissaient 1es yeux des
visiteurs. N'est—ce p 5 1a contemplation de ces
peintures ui a eveille 1e gout artistique d'Honore
d‘Urfe?” ?"Les nspirations et 1es sources de
l‘oeuvre d’Honpre d‘Ur e," Lflnformation litteraire,
29 (janvier—fevrier, 1977), pp. 1E-15I.

7

Mac Mahon, op, cit., p. 81.

8Ibid., p. 116.

CHAPTER I
THE BACKGROUND OF HONORE D‘URFE‘S CONCEPT OF LOVE

Previous critics of LfAstree have seen in this pas—
toral a roman i glg£.l Even in his introduction to its tri—
centennial edition, Louis Mercier retraces the major
characters in L'Astree as representations of the persons who
played important roles in d'UrfE's affective life.2 The
central problem of this pastoral has also often been con-
sidered ”the foundation of a coherent and morally-pure love
ideal within the greater context of instability and ambigu-

3

ity.” Although the foundation of such an ideal does not
preclude the characters' representing particular human
beings, this representation is not of primary importance to
a contemporary critic such as Octave Nadal. Following his
approach to determining the influences upon a particular
concept of love may prove more fruitful to us than contin-
uing to decipher a roman g glgf.

In.;§_Sentiment.QQII'amour dans lfoeuvre.gg
Corneille, Nadal denies that the dramatist‘s romantic adven—
tures exerted a direct influence upon the love intrigues in
his work. Conversely, he emphasizes Corneille's familiar-

ity with a vast corpus of European literature,LP which, along

with contemporary events, influenced Corneille's concept of

8
/' /
love. This critical theory can be applied to Honore d'Urfe:
./
what influenced d'Urfe's concept of love?
Similarly, the medieval romance and Provencal poetry

5

of his native France and Italian culture were influential
in forming Honore'd'Urfels concept of love. Fluent in
Italian, he was conversant with the trattati_gfam9£§ that
had been published since the end of the fifteenth century.
There, with NeOplatonism as a basis, such writers as Ficino,
Pico della Mirandola, Ebreo, and Castiglione had eXplicated
a philosophy which viewed love as the source of all virtue.
Other Italian contributions, the narrative Arcadia and the
dramas Aminta and the Pastor fido, revived the ancient pas-
toral and endowed it with new forms. When discussing the

. / .
formulation of d‘Urfe's concept of love, one must cons1der

these varied influences.
Medieval Courtly Love

/

In order to better understand d'Urfe‘s concept of
love in LfAstree, it is necessary to recall the essence of
medieval courtly lOVe-6 According to Denis de Rougemont, in
the late Middle Ages:

the '1overs‘ are bound by the rules of gortezia:
secrecy, patience, and moderation--the last not
being altogether synonymous with chastity, but

meaning rather restraint. . . . And especially
a man has to be the servente of a woman.

Let us consider three of these attributes. With one excep-

tion, in Chretien de Troyes' romances, a knight sets out

9
on a quest with the ultimate purpose of serving his lady.8
Most typical of the knight's obedience to his lady is Lg
Chevalier gu‘lign, where Yvain falls from grace with Laudine
as the result of a broken promise. His banishment can
only be waived if he manifests to Laudine that he is again
prepared to serve her. Through his service, he evidences
certain qualities required of a perfect courtier. They
are prouesse, largesse, honour, and courtoisie. Beginning
with his defeat of Count Alier, in all of his battles,
Yvain demonstrates his prowess. When he refuses payment
for his defense of a castle against the giant Harpin de la
Montagne, the knight evidences generosity. When, in spite
of other duties, he keeps his promise to defend Lunette,
Yvain proves himself capable of honor. Finally, as a result
of his success in a duel with Gauvain, the perfect knight,
he shows himself worthy of Arthur‘s court and regains a
place in it. According to the broad meaning of courtoi;
given by Oscar Bloch and W. von Wartburg, Yvain is again
courtly: once again, he is a member of a court.9 On a
more profound level, since Yvain's reacquisition of these
four qualities results from his service to Laudine, his
victories and return to Arthur's court do not constitute
his recompense. Laudine acknowledges him only when she
recognizes his efforts worthy of her. With this recog-
nition, she accepts him as her servant and renders his
life meaningful. Through his service, he has become a

courtly lover.

10

10 also alienates and regains his lady. Sus-

Celadon
pecting that he is enamored of Aminthe, Astree accuses him
of unfaithfulness and, like Laudine, banishes him from her
sight. However, unlike Laudine, Astree has encouraged the
behavior that induces her to reject Celadon. She conceived
of the idea of frequenting others to divert attention from
themselves. Since Celadon‘s relationship with Aminthe con-
stitutes such diversion, Astree's decision is unjust.
Ironically, Celadon suffers exile and attempts suicide,
because he has obeyed his lady's orders. The initial result
is total isolation from the normal social milieu. As
Jacques Ehrmann states:

sa tentative de suicide dans 1e Lignon, ass

l'ouvertureAdu livre, puis son isolement

dans la foret font de lui un etre en marge, qui,

parce qu‘ il a perdu l'assentiment de sa / /

maltresse, a augsi perdu celui de la societe.

Il n'oselieparaltre devant ni l'une ni

l'autre.
More so than Yvain, he has done nothing to warrant his dis-
missal and social ostracism. Celadon's efforts are a
penance for a non-existent sin. Therefore, more so than
that of courtly lovers in medieval romances, his service
represents the epitome of a woman's domination of a man's
existence.

Second, concomitant with their portrayal of a
knight's obedience to his lady and his efforts to regain her
favor, late medieval narrative and lyric poetry suggest the

physical aspect of a relationship. Inherent in lovers'

meetings are discreet sensual overtones, such as a touch of

11
the hand or the meeting of the eyes. These modest pleas-
ures provide lovers with the incentive to continue their
relationship.

Similar discreet sensual overtones exist in d'Urfgls
pastoral. When Astree and Celadon meet for the first time,
he cannot refrain from touching her:

[Celadon] usa de tant d'artifice que sans m'en prendre
garde, et monstrant que c'estoit par mesgarde, 11 se
trouva au dessous de ma main ... Luy ... en me prenant

la main, baissa 1a teste, de sorte que faisant semblant

de paiser sa main, je sentis sur la mienne sa bouche
2

Prior to a formal introduction, his insistence upon kissing
her hand betrays a certain liberty. He feels compelled to
use artifice in order to approach Astree, because he real—
izes that his action surpasses the normal limits of dis-
cretion.

A later incident occurs at a re-enactment of the
mythical judgment of Paris. Annually, the community selects
four shepherdesses to portray him, Hera, Aphrodite, and
Athena. They seclude themselves in a temple, where ”Paris"
appraises their beauty and awards a golden apple to the
loveliest woman. In order to be judged, those representing
the goddesses must appear ”nues, hormis un foible linge, qui
les couvre de la ceinture jusques aupres du genouil" (I, h,
11%). Appreciating Astree's beauty and realizing that she
may be among the three ”goddesses," Celadon disguises him-
self as a shepherdess and hOpes that fate will appoint him

"Paris.” He receives the appointment. Nude above the waist

l2
and scantily clad below it, Astree unknowingly provides
Celadon with an Opportunity to gaze upon her body as he
never has before.
The most sensually charged episodes between Astree
and Cgladon occur when Celadon disguises himself as the
druidess Alexis and shares living quarters with Astra; and
several other shepherdesses. Under such circumstances, he
endures situations which excite him even more than that of
the judgment of Paris. In the morning, when he awakens
earlier than Astree, he sits at her bedside and watches her
sleep. Frequently: "[elle] estoit lors de la moitie du
corps tournee du coste de ses compagnes; et parce qu'il
faisoit grand chaud, elle avoit une partie du sein des—
couvert ..." (IV, 5, 252). Just as Often, at her behest, he
dresses Astree:
Alexis alors, la prenant par une main, luy vestit un
bras, et puis, la levant du tout sur le lict, luy
aida a mettre l'autre, mais avec tant de contentement
ou plustost de transport qu'elle ne sgavoit ce qu'elle
faisoit; car cette nouvelle druide la croyoit de
sorte fille, qu'elle ne se cachoit en chose quel-
conque d'elle. En fin la prenant en ses bras la mit
en terre, 1a pressant avec tant/d'affection contre
son sein, que, pour peu qu'Astree en eust eu soupcon,
elle eust bien reconnu 1a tromperie qu'elle [Alexis-
Celadon] luy faisoit. Et toutesfois 1a crainte
qu'Alexis avoit de faire penser a ces belles bergeres
quelque chose qui luy fust desavantageuse, la/retint
de diverses actions, ausquelles elle eust este sais
doute plus licentieuse, s'il n‘y eust eu qu'Astree
dans la chambre ... (IV, 5, 269-70).
/
D'Urfe's style suggests Celadon's increased pleasure.

Initially, Celadon merely gazes upon Astree's body from a

distance as she sleeps. Then, as he assists in dressing

13

her, he makes direct contact with the body that his eyes
desire. He proceeds rather rapidly from touching her hand
to lifting her. The contentment that results from holding
her hand and arm yields immediately to transport when their
bodies touch. While he is imprecise as to the manner in
which Caladon lifts Astree onto the bed, he specifies that
the lover takes her in his arms to place her on the floor.
This specific mention of a part of the body underlines the
physical contact that is occurring. After pressing her to
his breast, CEladon strongly desires moments of even greater
tenderness. He demurs, not because of a sense of guilt, but
because he realizes that such licentiousness would possibly
infuriate Astree and thus end the few privileged moments
that he now enjoys. For the moment, he will satisfy himself
with the status quO.

The third component of medieval courtly love tO be
considered here is secrecy. For love to endure, it must not
become public knowledge. SO warns Andreas Capellanus in the

13

second book of his The Art 9£_Courtly Love. He cautions
lovers to inform no outsiders of their relationship, to
practice restraint in each other's presence, and to treat
each other as strangers or to avoid contact totally if sus-
.. 1H / / .
p1c1on develops. Astree and Celadon are as secretlve as
/’

Capellanus' laws require. According to Astree:

nous nous tournions de tous les costez ... pour

nous tenir cachez. Et mesme nous avions pris une

telle coustume de ne nous parler point, Celadon et

moy, ... qu'il y en eut plusieurs qui creurent
que Celadon eust change de volonte (I, A, 129).

1%
Since they have decided to avoid each other‘s company, their
communication is limited to exchanging letters deposited in
a hollow tree. To further convince society that they do not
love each other, Astree suggests that Celadon frequent
another woman, Aminthe. It would seem that they have out-
witted anyone who might publicize and thus destroy their
love. However, ironically, two of their protective measures
lead to their discovery. Enamored of Astree and convinced
that Celadon loves Aminthe, Semire is the first to find one
of the couple's love letters. Vindictive, he tricks Astree
by telling her that Celadon does indeed love Aminthe. She
responds by exiling Celadon. Thus begins the tension that
is to continue throughout most of the novel.

Later, however, secrecy deviates from the medieval
tradition. There is no question of hiding their love from
the remainder Of society when Celadon conceals his own
presence from Astree by disguising himself as the druidess
Alexis. Although Celadon initiates his disguise so that he
might not disobey Astree's orders, she becomes its victim.
She no longer helps control the concealment. In essence, the
shepherd has unwittingly attempted to tOpple his lady from
her place of supremacy. Concomitantly, he has endangered
any future relationship with Astree and increased the
initial tension.

The love story of Astree and Celadon alters the
three aspects of the medieval tradition that it adopts.

Unlike those of the medieval lover, the shepherd's efforts

15
to regain his lady result from his obedience to her com-
mands. Unable to enjoy the modest physical pleasure ac-
corded the medieval male, Celadon must pretend to be a
female in order to approach his lady. Perhaps most impor—
tant, rather than protect their relationship as in the
medieval romance, the unilateral use of secrecy almost

permanently jeopardizes their love.
NeOplatonism

So far we have seen in L'Agtgéé a few reminis—
cences of the medieval courtly love tradition. Still more
important is the Neoplatonic concept of love that prevailed
in fifteenth- and sixteenth—century Italy. Although he
categorically repudiates the notion that Bembo's poetry or
Castiglione‘s I; Cortegiano inspired d'Urfels concept of
love, Antoine Adam emphasizes the influence that the com—

mentaries on Plato's Banguet exerted on him.15

Among
others, Marsilio Ficino and Leone Abarbanel, better known

as Leone Ebreo, wrote such commentaries. Both men describe
a philOSOphy Of the mind. Both posit the possibility of
lovers' uniting non—physically. For both, such a union pro-
vides the point of departure for a reunion with God. How-
ever, the orientations Of their philosophies differ. Ficino
emphasizes visual and auditory contact as the means of

effecting the couple's eventual mutual appreciation. Using

the word "desire” to indicate Love's ideal, non-sexual

16

relationship to Beauty, he quotes Phaidros‘ speech on the
nature of the most preferable type of love:

Since, therefore, the mind, the sight, and the hear-

ing are the only means by which we are able to enjoy

beauty, and since love is the desire for enjoying

beauty, Love is always limited to [the pleasures of]

the mind, the eyes, and the ears. . . . but desire

which rises from the other senses is called, not

love, but lust or madness. Love is a great and

wonderful god, noble as well, and of the greatest

benefits; and let us so devote ourselves to Love

that we shall E8 content with His own end, which is

Beauty itself.
When they recognize divine beauty in another human being,
the mind, the eyes, and the ears temper the effect of man‘s
lust. The Love that he feels as the result of his apprecia-
tion of Beauty is then pure. In its purity, it leads him to
God. Attempting to reconcile Plato and Christianity, Ficino
first equates Love with ”a . . . god” and then, by grace of
a capitalization (”His”), with God. At the moment of crea-
tion, the soul of man, an emanation of God, experienced the
infinity, perfection, and unity of divine love and beauty.
Since man now lacks union with the whole of divine beauty,
his soul yearns to reattain it. He turns from the sensuous
life to thought and, through contemplation and mystic
flight, overcomes the animal component of his nature to
unite with Beauty, Love, and God.

The spirit of Ficino‘s commentary is present in
/

.L'Astreg. Though he be a god of a different name, God
created the universe. ”Le grand Tautates ... par amour a

fait tout cet univers et par amour le maintient ..." (III,

4, 217). Like the God of Ficino's NeOplatonism, Tautates

17

is Love. Because of Love, He created and maintains the uni-
verse. According to the critic Jayne, ”This is the central
point of Ficino‘s philOSOphy: that the world is organized
and run on the principle of love, that love is its unity as
well as the motivation of its parts.”17 Everything emanates
from God. As God reached toward earth, so, if mankind would
find God, it must reach toward Him. Love is the only means
by which this can be accomplished. Given his inferior posi-
tion below God, man must proceed to increasingly superior
levels of terrestrial existence in the chain of being. Con-
trasting light at the various stages of all creation, d'Urfe
identifies God as the source of all existence-~spirit, mind,
and matter. He is their causeless cause:

comme la clarte du soleil paroist plus belle en

l‘air qu‘en l'eau et en l'eau qu‘en la terre, de

mesme celle de Dieu est bien plus belle en l‘entende-

ment angelique qu'en l'ame raisonnable, et en l'ame

qu'en la matiere. Aussi disons—nous qu'au premier

il a mis les idees, au second 1es raisons, et au

dernier 1es formes (II, 2, 78).
Sunlight becomes more beautiful as the matter through which
it shines loses density. The opaque earth does not allow
light to penetrate its surface. Water reflects or refracts
it. Only air allows light to travel relatively undisturbed
and does not decrease its brightness. Likewise, God's
light shines more brilliantly as one proceeds from lower to
higher levels of creation. The lowest rung of earthly exis-
tence is pure matter. The only attribute that it possesses

is that of form, the ensemble of physical qualities that

determine its inclusion in a certain category. God's light

18
glows more brightly at the level of man's soul. The soul
has two phases: it is turned in the direction of sense,
brings order in matter, and has desire; however, it is also
turned in the direction of pure thought and must search or
ascend to receive the most intense rays of God's light. It
must continue its journey beyond this combination of the
physical and the ideal to arrive at the spiritual realm of
angelic understanding. As with Ficino, God is Love.

./

Another source of inspiration for d'Urfe's concept
of love seems to be Leone Ebreo. A statement by Antoine
Adam presents both the similarities and differences between
Ebreo and his contemporaries that have an impact on
LfiAstr6e. Ebreo's is:

une th6orie plus abstruse, une veritable philoSOphie

de l'esprit. ... il adOpte la th6orie aristot6licienne

de la connaissance, et 11 en tire une m6taphysique

de l'amour. L'Esprit se d6finit par la possibilite

de devenir l'autre, de devenir toutes choses ...

L' ESprit est tout ... La connaissance est unifigation,

identit6, a la limite, du sujet et de 1'Objet.
Both Ficino and Ebreo posit a philOSOphy of an ideal
approach to love. However, rather than emphasizing visual
and auditory contact as the source of Love, Ebreo suggests
that eventual mutual esteem emanates from complete knowl—
edge:

l‘Amour et le Desir sont 1e moyen qui nous oste de

l'Imparfaite cognoissance, nous conduisant en la

parfaite vnion, qui est la vraye fin de l'Amour et

du Desir, lesquelz sont affections de la volunte

qui font [, ] d'vne cognoissance divisee §t_separee

de son suiét, fruition d'vne cognoissance vnie et

parfaite.

Lovers must overcome incomplete knowledge. Love and Desire

19
provide motivation for this accomplishment. As Knowledge of
each other becomes perfect, so does a couple's love. While
Ficino equates Love only with God, Ebreo identifies It first
with Wisdom:

Or 1' Ame premierement se fait parfaite par l'habitude
des oeuvres vertueuses, et vient en fin par telle
habitude a atteindre 1a vraye Sapience, la fin de
laquelle n' est autre chose que avoir cognoissance de
Dieu, qui est la souveraine sapience, bont6 infinie,
et source inepuisable de tout bien. Alors ceste
cognoissance engendre en nous vn Amour 2bncomparable,
plein d‘excellence et honnestet6; ...

As a result of its quest to learn as much as possible about
the loved one, the Soul acquires Wisdom and finally reaches
God. Since God is also the source of all that is Good,
knowledge of Him must, in turn, lead to perfect Love.

In L'Astr6e, claiming that the lover's soul gives
birth to the will to love another human being, Tircis re-
flects the influence of Ebreo's philosophy:

oyez que c‘est que l‘ame; car ce n‘est rien, berger,
qu'une volont6, qu'une memoire, et qu'un entendement.
Or 81 les plus sgavants disent que nous ne pouvons
aymer que ce que nous cognoissons, et s'il est vray
que l'entendement et la chose entendue ne sont

qu'une mesme chose, i1 s'ensuit que l'entendement

de celuy qui ayme est le mesme qu'il ayme. Que si

la volont de lfamant ne doit en rien differer de
celle de l'ayme, et s'il vit plus par la pensee,

qui n' est qu' un effet de la memoire, que par la
prOpre vie qu' il respire, qui doutera que la

memoire, 1'entendement, et la volont6 estant chang6e
en ce qu' il ayme, son ame qui n' est autre chose que
ces trois puissances ne le soit de mesme (II, 6, 26%).

The will then influences the memory to retain as much infor-
mation as possible about the other. As the result of
numerous contacts and the memory‘s function, the lover re-

ceives a wealth of knowledge about his lady. Eventually,

20
his knowledge is so comprehensive, that he understands her.
In the five volumes of the novel, C6ladon becomes acquainted
with Astr6e under the following circumstances: when, as
shepherd and shepherdess, they meet, fall in love and
attempt to conceal their love; when, disguised as Alexis,
he lives with her and other shepherdesses; when, after
Alexis has fought in the Battle of Marcilly, Astr6e ex-
presses concern for the druidess' health; when, after the
decree of the God of Love, Astr6e willingly accepts him.
Although, due to his disguise, she does not realize it,
throughout the novel Astr6e is becoming acquainted with
C61adon. His knowledge of her has become so complete, that
he feels as if he has become his loved one. Their identi-
ties are one. His will, memory, and understanding have
drawn him from himself to another.

In denoting those qualities which comprise the
spirit, Saintsbury mentions the same three as Ebreo and
Tircis: will, memory, and judgment——or understanding.
Also, as with Ebreo and Tircis, these three attributes have
drawn the lover toward another. At the geographic center of
LjAstr6e is the Fontaine de la Vérit6’d'Amour:

The nature of the fountain is to reflect not body
but spirit. Spirit includes Will, Memory, Judg-
ment, and when a man loves, his Spirit transforms
itself through all those ways into the thing
loved. Therefore when he looks into the fountain
he sees Her. In the same way She is changed into
Him, or someone Else whom she loves, and he sees

that image also.

Once able to assure couples of their mutual love by its

21
unique manner of reflection, the fountain is now inacces-
sible. Lovers may not even draw near it. In order to
avenge his unrequited love for the nymph Silvie, a shepherd
has placed lions and unicorns to guard its approaches. A
particular couple will be able to restore the fountain to
its original function: ”1e sortilEge ne pouvoit se rompre
qu'avec le sang et la mort du plus fidelle amant, et de la
plus fidelle amante, qui fut oncques en ceste contr6e" (I, 8,
282). Through five volumes, LfAstr6e narrates the search
for this perfect couple.

As with the medieval component of his concept of
love, Honor6 d'Urf6 does not adopt NeOplatonism in its
totality. He does present the necessity of man's arriving
at reciprocal love. However, unlike Ficino and Ebreo, he
does not limit lovers‘ acquaintance to the soul and does not

portray them as reaching God.
Pastoral Love

Finally, the pastoral is a third literary tradition
/' /’
forming the cultural heritage Of Honore d'Urfe's concept of

22 Often drew

love. During the Renaissance, Italian writers
their literary sources from the ancients. One such source
was the pastoral poetry of the Greeks and Romans. While

converting the lyric of the ancients to narrative or drama,

the Italians retained the setting. This setting fulfills a

specific purpose:

22

being aware of the impossibility of realizing here
and now its own ideal of an absolute erotic anar-
chism, the pastoral is left no outlet except the
very dream it feeds on. So it projects its yearn—
ing after free love, its eagerness for sexual
freedom and even sexual license, its longing for a
passion with no master except its own caprice or
whim, into a state of nature Ehat exists nowhere,
or only in the realm of myth.

In the Golden Age, man enjoyed ideal love. With no master
other than caprice, he loved innocently. In the pastoral
world created by Sannazaro, Tasso, and Guarini, sexual free-
dom and license and a passion with no master can no longer
exist. Social sanction restrains innocent love, so that one
of the few remaining aspects of the ideal love of the Golden
Age is the setting in which the author has his work unfold.
This sylvan state reflects the former state of free love for
which the protagonists yearn. Like free love, it is ideal
and it is an impossible dream. Sannazaro was one of the
first Renaissance writers to explore Arcadia successfully.
He established its borders and prepared the way for those
who were to follow. In one of the first prose passages of
the Arcadia, he describes the realm in which the story takes
place:

Giace nella sommita di Partenio, non umile monte

de la pastorale Arcadia, un dilettevole piano, de

ampiezza non molto spazioso, pero che i1 sito del

luogo nol consente, ma di minuta e verdissima

erbetta 51 ripieno, che, se le lascive pecorelle

con gli avidi morsi non vi pascesseno, vi si

potrebbe di ogni tempo ritrovare verdura. Ove, si

10 non mi inganno, son forse dodeci o quindici

alberi di tanto strana et eccessiva bellezza, che

chiunque li vedesse, guidicarebbe che la maestra

natura vi si fusse con sommo diletto studiata in

formarli. Li quali, alquanto distanti e in ordine
non artificioso disposti, con la loro rarita 1a

23

naturale bellezza del luogo oltra misura annobilis-
cono.... Ma fra tutti nel mezzo, presso un chiaro
fonte, sorge verso il cielo un dritto cipresso,
veracissimo imitatore de le alte mete,... Ne sono
le dette piante Sl discortesi, che del tutto con le
loro ombre vietono i gaggi del sole entrare nel
dilettoso boschetto.2

With his mention of Arcadia, the author influences the
reader. Given this name, the location can be nothing less
than ideal. As if to reinforce this notion, Sannazaro
immediately plies the reader with effusive detail. By their
variety the trees ennoble their environment. By their
shade, they prevent the area from succumbing to the harsh
rays of the sun. If sheep did not rely on the grass for
food, unlike most pastureland, this would be evergreen.

Although in the Aminta Tasso does not initially stress its
,25

ideal nature, he does have Love (”in abito pastorale”
describe the locale:

PerO spesso celandomi, e fuggendo
L'imperio no, che 1n me non l'ha, ma 1 preghi,
C' han forza porti de importuna madre,
Ricovero ne boschi e ne le case
De 1e genti minute.
Queste selvi oggi ragionar d‘Amore
Udranno in nuova guisa: e ben parrassi
Che la mia deita sia qui presente
In 56 medesma e non ne' suoi ministri.
Spirero nobil sensi a' rozzi petti,
Raddo ciro de le lor lingue il suono,
Perche, ovunque i‘ mi sia, iO sono Amore,
Ne' pastori non men che ne gli eroi,
E la disagguaglianza de' soggetti,
Come a me piace, agguaglio.

(Prologo. 28- -32, 76— 85. )

Running from his irate mother, Cupid has come to the forest.
As Love has to more elevated subjects, he will bring a new

emotion to these simple folk. In the Pastor fido, Guarini,

2%

too, immediately sets the stage of his masterpiece. After
listing the characters, he indicates that, "La Scena g'in
Arcadia.”26 From the outset, as with Sannazaro, the name
itself implies the location's ideal nature. In his pro-
logue, with even more detail than Tasso, Guarini describes
the environment. The river Alfeo speaks:

Queste son le contrade

Si chiare un tempo, e queste son le selve

Ove' l prisco valor visse e morio.

In questo angolo del ferreo mondo

Cred'io che ricovrasse il secol d‘oro.

Quand fuggia 1e scellerate genti

Qui, non veduta altrove,

Liberta moderata e senza invidia

Fiorir si vide in dolce sicurezza

Non custodita, e 'n disarmata pace.

Cingea popolo inerme

Un muro d'innocenza e di virtute,

Assai piu impenetrabile di quello

Che d'animati sassi

Canoro fabbro alla gran Teve eresse:

(Prologo, p. 142.)

As it flows through these particular woodlands, the Alfeo
remembers the Golden Age, the age during which perfection
came to earth. Inherent in Alfeo's extended monologue is
the wish to return to the Golden Age that he recalls. Could
he return, he would find a world of innocent, virtuous
people. It should be noted that Guarini uses the word
"innocenza" rather than ”castita," because he does not in-
tend to imply that citizens of the Golden Age did not
indulge in sexual contact. On the contrary, he intimates
that, ignorant of goodness and evil, they could love each
other completely without any sense of remorse. Could he

return to the Golden Age, Alfeo would find a world of love

25
which knows no social sanctions. However, the Golden Age
ended long ago. Given the current period, ideal love can no
longer exist, for mankind is no longer innocent. Rather
than Obey their instincts and give themselves to each other
completely, Amarilli and Mirtillo must remember social
demands. Only according to society's dictates do they
finally unite.

Italy's rejuvenation of the pastoral coincided
chronologically with a period during which exchanges of
artists and art forms between France and Italy thrived.
Published in Italy in 1502, the Arcadia was later trans-
lated into French. Written in 1573, the Aminta was first
translated into French in 158%. Its success led to that of
Guarini's Pastor fido. When the first volume of LfAstr66
appeared in 1607, it unfolded in an environment similar to
that of the Italian works:

aupres de l'ancienne ville de Lyon, du cost6 du
soleil couchant, il y a un pays nomme Forests, qui
en sa petitesse contient ce qui est de plus rare
au reste des Gaulois, car estant divis6 en plaines
et en montaignes,/les unes et les autres/sont si
fertiles, et situees en un air si tempere, que la
terre y est capable de tout ce que peut desirer le
laboureur. Au coeur du pays est le plus beau de la
plaine, ceinte, comme d‘une forte muraille, des
monts assez voisins et arrosee du fleuve de Loyre,
qui prenant sa source assez pres de la, passe
presque par le milieu, non point encore trop enfle
ny orgueilleux, mais doux et paisible. Plusieurs
autres ruisseaux en divers lieux la vont baignant
de leurs claires ondes, mais l'un des plus beaux
est Lignon, qui vagabond en son cours, aussi bien
que douteux en sa source, va serpentant par ceste
plaine depuis les hautes montaignes de Cervieres
et de Chalmasel, jusques a Feurs, ou‘Loire le
recevant, et luy faisant perdre son nom prOpre,
l‘emporte pour tribut a‘l'Ocean (I, l, 9).

26
Once again, there is a country setting. Amid mountains lies
a plain watered by one of the most beautiful of all rivers.
The soil and air are the best that one could desire and a
strong mountain wall protects the plain from interlopers.
Although war occasionally threatens this pastoral realm when
the foreign principalities of Polemas and Gondebaut initiate
conflict, no battles occur within its borders. The only
intruders whom its inhabitants allow to enter are lovers who
seek the judicious settlement of their quarrels. The
ambiance is as pastoral as those of the Arcadia, the Aminta,
and the Pastor fido. Like the Golden Age that the Arcadia
of the Italian pastorals attempts to recall, the forest of
these shepherds lies far from the outside world in a rare-
fied atmosphere.

Since the setting of LfAstr66 accurately corres-
ponds tO actual French locations in the seventeenth century,
its separation from reality is only partial. Although
d'Urf6’wanted to establish an ideal situation, he also
wanted to relate it to his contemporary society. Therefore,
place names in LfAstr66 provide a greater sense of veri-
similitude than the Arcadia of its Italian predecessors. It
is a fact that the plains and mountains of Forez lie west Of
Lyon in the department of Loire. In the same department,
but south of Forez, the Loire River has its source in the
Lac d'Issarles. Far north of the Loire‘s source, the tiny
Lignon joins it. while d'Urfe/ would have the rivers meet at

the department's former capital, Feurs, they actually do so

27
much farther south, near the town Of Retournac. This
appears to be the only lapse in the author‘s accurate pre-
sentation of one section of the French countryside. By
attributing the qualities of an ideal society to actual geo-
graphic locations, d'Urf6’brings his reader closer to the
text than the Italians. While they ask their audience to
suspend disbelief and imagine a mythical land, d‘Urf6 gives
the reader the simple job of imagining his native land.
With the accomplishment of this task guaranteed, he can pro-
ceed to the one of presenting to his readers the love that
must exist in their native land. Can ideal love flourish as
it did in the Golden Age? Or must its form be altered in
order to satisfy social sanction, as it is in the Italian
pastoral?

The second aspect of the Italian tradition that
d‘Urf6 borrows is both structural and thematic. Given the
pOpularity of the Aminta and the Pastor fido and d‘Urf6‘s
familiarity with them, there is little wonder that he
attributed to his novel the format of a drama. His secre-
tary informs the reader in an ”Avertissement au lecteur”:

je te diroy qu'il m'a fait autrefois l‘honneur de

me communiquer qu'il vouloit faire de toute son oeuvre
une tragicomedie pastorale, et que, comme nos Fran ois
ont accoutusme de les disposer en cinq actes, chasque
acte compos6 de diverses scenes, il vouloit de mesme
faire cinq volumes composez de douze livres, a fin

que chasque volume fust pris pour un acte et chasque
livre pour une scene (IV, p. 5.)

Although d'Urf6’liked to consider L'Astr66 related to the

Italian form in this manner, it is obvious that the five

28
volumes and the numerous books into which each volume is
divided do not constitute coherent acts and scenes. Nor do
the thousands Of pages that comprise it provide the rela—
tive concision of a drama. Finally, its narrative form dis-
tinguishes it from the Italian pastoral drama. However, as
does the Italian drama, L'Astr66 devotes more time to the
barriers that impede a relationship than it does to the
contentment that follows their disappearance. In the Aminta
and the Pastor fido, dramatic exigencies focus attention on
the friction between lovers rather than upon their final
union. Some obstacle, often within the protagonists, hin-
ders a relationship. Frequently, the obstacle is associated
with the previously mentioned social sanction: at least one
member of a couple fails to realize that his instinctive
love is also prOper. When restraints against love are fi-
nally relaxed, the story draws to a close. The voice of

27

the pastoral is no longer heard. Throughout the Aminta,
an exaggerated modesty on the part of both Silvia and Aminta
is evident. Although in love with Silvia, Aminta has re-
ceived nothing but disdain from her. Her disdain is a per-
fect example of De Rougemont's prescription for passion. He
maintains that: ”Whether our desire is for the most self-
conscious or simply for the most intense love, secretly we
desire Obstruction. And this Obstruction we are ready if
need be to invent or imagine."28 The couple is united only

when Silvia hears that Aminta has died. Her natural grief

then overpowers appearance. Rushing to provide him a proper

29

burial, she finds him alive and the two avow their love for
each other. Although it does not occur within the five acts
of the play, union is imminent. The chorus comments upon
the emotional conflict that has ended:

Io non ti cheggio, Amore,

uesta beatitudine maggiore

Bea pur gli altri in tal guisa:

Me la mia ninfa accoglia

DOpo brevi preghiere e servir breve:

E siano i condimenti

De le nostri dolcesse

Non sf gravi tormenti,

Ma soave disdegni

E soavi repulse,

Risse e guerre cui segua,

Reintegrando i cori, O pace 0 tregia.

(V. Scena unica. 1H7-58.)

Silvia and Aminta could have enjoyed the same love much
earlier if they had only shortened or eliminated the long
game that began with their initial meeting and lasted until
a false death report forced Silvia to yield to her emotions.
She has finally realized that her instinctive love is prop-
er. TO the chorus, even the sweetest of all results does
not justify grave torment and unappreciated service.

In the Pastor fido, too, the obstacle to love re—
ceives more emphasis than the final union. Difficulty
arises, because the mutual love of the major couple does not
coincide with the dictates of an oracle:

Non avra‘prima fin quel che v‘offende,
Che duo semi del ciel congiunga Amore;
E 1i donna infedel l'antico errori
L'alta pieta‘d‘un PASTOR FIDO ammende.
(I, iii, p. 168.)
No descendant of the gods, Mirtillo may not marry Amarilli.

Since the two are forbidden to marry, Amarilli refuses the

3O

shepherd's company. But, although she tells not even
Mirtillo, she does love him. As long as an oracle forbids
their marriage, the couple's destiny appears sealed:
Amarilli will publicly conceal her personal sentiment and
will not allow Mirtillo to speak Of his. Once again, as in
the Aminta, a moment arrives when the strength of personal
emotions will no longer succumb to apparent social dictates.
Incited by lies and jealousy, the unsuspecting couple
allows their natural sentiments to overcome concealment.
They inform upon themselves. By chance, as Mirtillo stands
prepared for execution, Montano, a descendant of the gods,
recognizes him as his son. Mirtillo, too, may fulfill the
oracle with Amarilli. Social demand and natural instinct
are finally one. The initially inadmissable love of the
major protagonists has proven acceptable. As the play
approaches its end, the chorus chants:

Viene, santo Imeneo,

Seconda i nostri voti e i nostri canti.

Scorgi i beati Amanti,

L'uno e l'altro celeste Semideo;

Stringi i1 nodo fatal, santo Imeneo.

(V, ix, p. 6H9.)

The audience can only anticipate the nuptials.

Honor6 d‘Urf6 uses a similar technique. Obstacles
to love receive more attention than does their disappearance
in a joyful denouement. As in the Italian pastoral drama,
"le mariage est la conclusion logique d'une passion plus on
29

. /’ . . /' . A
melns tourmentee, 11 n'est pas 1nteressant en lul-meme.”

. . . . 1’
However, unlike the drama, the major barrler 1n LfAstree

31
originates after the shepherdess and C6ladon have already
avowed their mutual love. The Obstacle in the path of love
is Astr66's jealousy. Although Mirtillo‘s jealousy is a
catalyst which leads to Guarini's denouement, it is not the
immediate cause of any problems. Before Astr66's jealousy
begins to control her thoughts, she and C6ladon have already
resolved the crisis faced in the Aminta and the Pastor fido.
As shown by their first meeting at a dance and by C6ladon‘s
subsequent role-playing in order to portray Paris in the
judgment of the most beautiful goddess, the couple has
chosen moderate physical contact. Rather than forbid
C6ladon to see her, Astr66 falls in love with him. As far
as the division between instinctive love and a socially
sanctioned relationship is concerned, she and C6ladon flaunt
her parents' dictates by continuing to meet clandestinely.
Astr6e's jealousy abruptly ends this intimacy early in the
pastoral: ”Que si le ressouvenir de ce qui s'est pass6’
entre nous, (que je desire toutesfois effac6) m'a encor
laiss6 quelque pouvoir, va t'en desloyal, et garde toy bien
de te faire jamais voir a moy que je ne te le commande”
(I, 1, 13). At this point their relationship becomes
strained.

Unable to live without Astr66 but forbidden to let
her see him, C6ladon finally conceives of a means by which
he may see her and yet not be seen. His method involves
an elaborate disguise and sharing her living quarters.

Once again the distinction between instinct and propriety

32
./
intrudes. Celadon will be sharing the most intimate quar—
ters with his loved one and her friends. Socially, if most
of the other citizens of Forez knew, ostracism would re-
/'
sult. The concealment associated with Celadon‘s efforts to
regain Astr66 continues for several volumes. Despite this
temporary ambiguity Of emotions and identity, as Jacques
Ehrmann informs us, eventually, stability is achieved:
La v6rit6, une fois trouv66, est fix66; 1e but des
personnages etant precisement d'arriver a‘cette
fixit6. Pour eux, il s'agit de crever/le miroir
des apparences. ... Pour eux, la verite se situant
au dela du miroir des apparences, se situe aussi
au dela'de l'illusion. ..} La feinte amou§8use est
un moyen d'aboutir 5‘1a verite amoureuse.
His wishes are finally accomplished at the Fountain of the
Truth of Love. Once the problem caused by Astr6e's jealousy
has been resolved, few pages are required for the God of
Love to sanction their union:
Puis qu'enfin Alexis, cette fidelle amante,
Que 1es dieux demandoient est morte en ta faveur,
Celadon, recoy le bon-heur
Que le Ciel te presente:
/
Astree, a‘tes travaux est un prix ordonn6,/.
Et ce coeur si long-temps contre toy mutine
N'a plus de rgsistance
Pour Opposer a ta constance.
(v, 11, #75)
As in the Aminta and the Pastor fido, natural instinct and
social sanction are finally one. Although neither marriage
occurs until the conclusion of the work, each couple antici-
pates happiness which will surpass their time of suffering

in its duration. A favorable reversal of the protagonists‘

fortune has been effected.

33

Conclusion

Although L'Astr66 ends with the confirmation of the
love of most of the couples that have peOpled it, the five
volumes do not limit themselves to an illustration of Pla-

/’

tonic love. Given the conduct of Astr6e and Celadon during
the period of his disguise, nothing could be more obvious.
Nor does the novel exalt sensual love. The characters'
concern with reinstating the function of the Fountain of the
Truth of Love in the denouement Of the novel gainsays any
such assumption. This fountain stands at the center of
LfAstr6e. The spell that prevents its prOper function can
only be broken by the deaths of the most faithful of lovers.
Symbolieally, these two deaths occur. As Adamas, the dru-
idic priest, relates:

je croy bien que cet enchantement qui nous cachoit

la verit6 qu' Amour souloit descouvrir a tout le

monde, es t aujourd'huy entierement rompu, et je

juge que comme cette amante qui devoit mourir

estoit Alexis, ce fidelle amant aussi n'a deu estre

que Silvandre. En effect la mort n'estant qu'une

privation d'estre ils sont assez morts tous deux

quand l'un a cesse d'estre Alexis et feinte druide

pour devenir Celadon; et l'autre quand il a cess6

d'estre Silvandre et berger, pour devenir Paris

et mon fils (V, 12, 533).
When C6ladon abandons the robes of the druidess whose iden—
tity he has adopted, she dies. Since she and Astr66 were
faithful lover and servant, respectively, during the period
of disguise, Alexis' "death" satisfies the oracle's first

requirement. As "Silvandre"'s execution is about to take

place, he is recognized to be Paris. Throughout the novel,

31+

although Silvandre has known that he could never marry
Diane, he has served her faithfully. When ”Silvandre” no
longer exists, the most faithful male lover dies with him.
The oracle‘s second requirement has been fulfilled. As he
approaches the fountain: ”Celadon se baissa; mais a peine
eut—il jette l‘oeil dans l'eau qu'il y vid sa maistresse"
(V, 12, 53%). Astr66 then sees her loved one's reflection,
as do Diane, Phillis, and the others who approach it. The
fountain's capacity to confirm the union of lovers has been
restored.

/

D'Urfe's purpose is to show that, although morally
pure love finally triumphs, two diametrically opposed types
of love constantly co—exist in each of us. As G6rard
Genette has declared, "l'Astr66 renfermerait ensemble, et en
toute innocence, un roman et son anti-roman, le pur Amour

31

avec sa libido: 1e serpent dans la bergerie.” Given this
purpose, d‘Urf6 cannot devote his work to Platonic love to
the exclusion of the medieval or pastoral traditions. How-
ever, neither does he present a synthesis of these three
approaches. By selecting or adapting certain aspects of the
three concepts, Honor6 d'Urf6 arrives at his own.

Because of the physical love that constantly tempts
man and to which C6ladon sometimes succumbs in L'Astr66,
ideal love prevails and triumphs only after incredible in-
stability and ambiguity. For thousands of pages, it appears

/ /
that Astree and Celadon will never regain the relationship

that they enjoyed at the beginning of the novel. For an

35
equally great length of time C6ladon appears to be Alexis

and Astr6e attempts to convince the citizens of Forez that
the shepherd's loss has not affected her. The Baroque
dichotomy between appearance and reality is resolved with
the ultimate victory of divinely sanctioned love, as is the
related one between instinctive and socially acceptable
love. However, neither one is forgotten:
6'sulla frattura che l'artista barocco pone l'accento,
sullo stato di dissociazione che--malgrado sia
momentaneo e transitorio, racchiuso fra quelle due
unita di cui s1 e detto——e l'unico ad essere diretta-
mente e quotidianamente percepito dal'uomo e finisce
coll'identificarsi alla stessa condizione umana, sulla
quale anzi proietta i1 suo prOprio carattere precario.37
Although appearance and reality are finally recognized as
one, and although the struggle between sensual and socially

acceptable love has been resolved, the tension created has

left its indelible mark.

36
Notes

1Such is the case with Fernand Dusuit‘s "Les c165
de l'Astree," Arts et Livres de Provence, 35 (1958), 15-16;
Maurice Magendie' s Du nouveau sur l‘Astr6e (Paris:
Champion, 1928); Olivier Patru' s "Eclaircissemens sur
l'histoire de l'Astr6e" in Plaidoyers et oeuvres diverses
(Paris: n. p., 1861).

2Hugues Vaganay, ed., L‘ Astree, by Honore d'Urfe
(lst ed., rev. Lyon: Pierre Masson, 1928), pp. xi- xx.

3Malcolm Carroll, ”Lngtr6g, or Virtue Corrupted,”
Trivium, 8 (1973), 29.

Octave Nadal, Le Sentiment de l'amour dans l'oeqyge
.dg Pierre Corneille (Paris: Editions "Gallimard, 19M8),

pp- 17, 2

p

)Among the manuscript listed in his chapter/PCata-
lOg des Livres de la bibliotheque de la maison d'Urge"1'n
Documents sur la Vie Intellectuelle en Forez au XVI sieele
(Saint— Etienne: Centre d'Etudes Foreziennes, 1973), Claude
Longeon includes the following:

 

1. Christine de Pisan: Le Livre des Trois Vertus
(XVe s.)
2. Recueil de Chansons
a. Recueil de 301 chansons, jeux parties.
b. Trait6 des quatre necessaires.
c. Le bestiaire d'amours.
d. Trente chansons en l'honneur de la Sainte-
Vierge (XIIIe s. )
3. Recueil de Po6sies des Troubadours (XIVe s. )
h. Recueil de Romans des Chevaliers de la Table
Ronde, principalement de San Graal et du roi
Artus (1357)
5. Le Roman du roi Artus, compile par ordre du roi
Henri d'Angleterre (XIVe s. )

6. Le Roman du San Graal, ou est trait6 de Lancelot,
du roi Artus et d'autres de la table ronde (XIVe 5.)

Among the printed works are the following:

1. Les faicts, dictes et ballades de Maistre Alain
Charti er ,

2. C'est 1e omant de la Rose moralisee cler et net
translate de rime en prose par Jean Molinet

3. Le Romant de Milles Amys

37
6

Among those who recognize the influence of the
medieval courtly tradition in L'Astree are Malcolm Carroll,
Victor Cherbuliez, Jacques Ehrmann, Gerard Genette,
Giorgetto Giorgi, and Maria Gerhardt. Perhaps Genette sum—
marize best those ways in which these critics find
'L'Astree's characters medieval:

. . / .\
”11 y a auss1, sous une forme plus secu11ere, un
Code de l'Amour parfait: ce sont, a‘quelques

uances pres, ceux de l‘amour courtois. La femme
etant, de par sa beaute et sa vertu, un‘etre
superieur, intermediaire entre l'homme et DieuK
on appelle amour 1e sentiment qu'elle inspire a
l'homme et 1e ”Service” absolu par lequel s'exprime
ce sentiment. L'amant doit tout 5'1‘aimee, y
compris sa vie, il ne respire que par sa permission
expresse. ... La moindre faute est irremissible ..."
[”Le Serpent dans la bergerie” in F1 ures: Essais
(Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1966), p 16]

7Denis de Rougemont, Love in the Western World,
trans. by Montgomery Belgion (lst ed., rev. Greenwich, Con-
necticut: Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1956), p. 79.

8The exception is Perceval.

9According to Oscar Bloch and W. von Wartburg,
Dictionnaire etymologique de 1a,1angue fran aise (Paris:
Presses universitaires, 196E), p. 169, in t e twelfth cen-
tury, courtois implied membership in ”the suite d‘un prince”
or an ”entourage royal.”

10The name ”Celadon” will be spelled without an
accent only when it appears in a quotation from LfAstree.

llEhrmann,p_p_. cit., p. 9%.

lgHonorg’d'Urf6; LfiAstrée, ed. by Hugues Vaganay
(1st ed., rev. Lyon: Pierre Masson, 1928), I, 4, pp. 1 2-
13. (Henceforth, all references to the text of LfAstree
will be made to this edition and will be identified by
volume, book, and page numbers in parentheses.)

l3Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love,
trans. by John Jay Perry, ed. and abridged by Frederick W.
Locke (New York: Frederick Ungar, 1957), p. #2.

lhlbid., p. 25.

15Antoine Adam, ”La theorie mystique de l'amour dans

38

Philosophie _e_t_ 91' Histoire généraie c_1_e_ ;_a_ Civilisation, h
(1936), p- 197-

16Marsilio Ficino, Commentary on Platots Symposium,
trans. by Sears Reynolds Jayne, University of Missouri
Series, Vol. XIX, No. 1 (Columbia, Missouri; University of
Missouri, 1944), pp. 130—31.

l7Sears Reynolds Jayne, trans., Commentary on
Plato'§_Symposium, Marsilio Ficino, University of Missouri
Series, Vol. XIX, No. 1 (Columbia, Missouri: University
of Missouri, 194%), p. 153, n. 15.

l8Antoine Adam, ”Le Roman” in Lnge classique, Vol.
I (Paris: B. Arthaud, 1968), pp. 129—30.

lgLebn L'Hébreu, Dialogues Q'Amour, trans. by Pontus
de Tyard, ed. by T. Anthony Perry, University of North Caro—
lina Studies in Comparative Literature, No. 59 (Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 197%), p. 65.

20.1.9251: 9 p. 56-

21George Saintsbury, A History gi the French Novel
Lg the Close Q£ the Nineteenth Century, Vol. II. (London:
Macmillan and Company, 1917), p. 171.

22Although the form of ontemayor‘s pastoral novel,
the Diana, is closer to LfAstree than that of any of the
Italian pastorals, its treatment of love isfgifferent. ‘,
”Est-ce 1a dans la Diana] 1e type que d‘Ur e a transplante
dans LfAstree? Non: il est impossible de se tromper.
Celadon se ressemble trop aux amants de Sannazar, du Tasse,
et du Guarini pour laisser un simple doute sur la filiation
du t pe de l‘amant mal eureux" [Jean Bonfiglio, Les sources
litteraires dg L'Astree (Torino: n. p., 1911), p. 6]. It
is for this reason that the Diana is not treated in this
study.

 

23Renato Poggioli, The Oaten Flute: Essavs on
Pastoral Poetry and the Pastoral Ideal (Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1975), p. U3.

2L‘LJacopo Sannazaro, L‘Arcadia in Opera, ed. by
Enrico Carrara (Torino: Unione Tipografico, 1967), pp, 51-

52.

25Torquato Tasso, Aminta, ed. by Luigi Fasso
(Florence: Sansoni, n. d.), p. S. (Henceforth, all refer-
ences to the text of the Aminta will be made to this edition
and will be identified by act, scene, and verse numbers in
parentheses.)

39

182%), p. 139. (Henceforth, all references to the text of
the Pastor fido will be made to this edition and will be
identified by act and page numbers in parentheses.)

27Poggioli, op, cit., p. 62.
28De Rougemont, op. cit., p. 5%.

29MagendieLgp. cit., p. 57.
3O

31

Ehrmann,._p. 913., p. 8%.
Genette, pp. cit., p. 122.

32Daniella Dalla Valle, La Frattura: Studi sul

barocco letterario francese (Ravenna: A. Long, 1970),
pp. 15:16.

CHAPTER II

MODELS FOR PICTORIAL CHIAROSCURO AND STRUCTURAL
AMBIGUITY AND THEIR FUNCTION IN LfASTREE

As the struggle between sensual and socially accep-
table 1ove unfolds, pictorial description in.L}Astr6e
functions as narrative. According to Maurice Laugaa:

1a description [d'une peinture] dechire 1e texte,

l‘interrompt mais ne cesse de lui’etre contigue ...
elle redouble 1e premier texte; elle dit, en redis—
tribuant 1es memes elements selon un autre code, ce

que disait l'autre texte: elle est substitutive,
metaphorique.

Early in L'Astree (I, 11, HH2-53), after Galathee has re-
trieved the unconscious Cg1adon from the shores of the
Lignon, she, her servant Leonide, the Grand Druid Adamas,
and the shepherd enter a cave during one of their walks in
the forest. On its walls, depicting the love triangle of
Damon, Fortune, and Mandrague, are six paintings. Although
the book illustrates none of them, d'Urfe’provides a de-
tailed verbal description of their content. Each one por-
trays part of a story of "une des plus grandes preuves
qu'Amour ait fait de sa puissance i1 y a longtemps” (I, 11,
MAO). This particular account is representative of the
multiplicity of love intrigues which comprise LfiAstree.

The core of each plot consists of six elements. The

first two are a handsome male and a beautiful female. One

#0

41

partner appears to love the other more than he is loved.
Added to this unreciprocal affection is a third component:
an obstacle threatens any realization of mutual devotion.
These first three elements result in the fourth of con-
tinued suffering. Eventually, the fifth ingredient of the
basic core, a reversal, effects the desired reciprocal love.
Finally, perhaps the most important component, the neces—
sity of re-enchanting the Fountain of the Truth of Love,
underlies all of the others. In fact, the fountain's
dormancy precludes an early resolution of the story and pre-
cipitates the fourth and fifth elements of the basic core.
Were the fountain capable of functioning, it would reflect
the faces of mutual lovers, unhappiness would not follow,
and there would be no need for a reversal.

The love story of Damon, Fortune, and Mandrague in—
cludes the six elements denoted above. It appears that the
beautiful shepherdess Fortune loves the handsome shepherd
Damon more than he does her. The obstacle that precludes
any change in this affective situation is the sorceress
Mandrague who, by her craftiness in changing the nature of
the Fountain of the Truth of Love, hopes to convince Fortune
and Damon that neither one cares for the other. Perhaps
then the shepherd will find it in his heart to adore
Mandrague. Such a change in the nature of the fountain con-
stitutes an a_priori obstacle in all of the amorous disa—
greements in.LfAstrge. Whatever other obstacles may

surface--human or otherwise——this one remains of primary

H2
importance. After a nightmare in which he sees Fortune in
another's arms, Damon realizes that he yearns for the
shepherdess and seeks confirmation of her love at the foun-
tain. When he sees the face of another reflected beside
Fortune's in its waters, he commits suicide immediately.
Having dreamed that she has lost Damon's affection forever,
Fortune, too, approaches the fountain and, beside the
shepherd's face, sees reflected that of Melinde. In tears,
she retires to a cave to grieve, thus engendering the re—
versal: by chance, she enters the grotto where Damon lies
mortally wounded. ”Ainsi ces fideles amans recogneurent
1'infidelite de ceste fontaine, et plus asseurez qu'ils
n'avoient jamais este’de leur affection, ils moururent
embrassez: ..." (I, 11, #52).

After studying d’Urfg)s description, it is clear
that the inefficacy of the fountain has led to these tragic
deaths. They are tragic, because, had the couple known of
their feelings earlier, death would not have occurred. Had
Mandrague not cast a spell upon the fountain, they would
have been apprised of their mutual love and would still be
alive to enjoy their bliss. In order to avoid further
disaster, the fountain must be restored to its original
function. It is such a restoration which the participants

,/
in all of the love stories in L'Astree desire.

Lt3

The Model for Pictorial Chiaroscuro

As Laugaa points out, pictorial description assumes
a symbolic function beyond its narrative role: ”Enfin cette
fonction narrative n'est pas saparable d‘une fonction sym-
bolique.”2 As with the study of the symbolism of an actual
painting, an investigation of these six verbal descriptions
entails the consideration of techniques employed in the
visual arts. Several techniques are evident in three of the
six pictures that d‘Urfe’describes here. Chiaroscuro domi-
nates the scene. In his study ”Structures de la sensibilite,
baroque dans le roman prelclassique," Bruce Morrissette
observes: ”Notez surtout 1e plaisir que prend l‘auteur a
reproduire 1e Clair—obscur.”3 Bernard Germa evaluates the
success of the author‘s attempt: ”i1 y avait la un jeu
d'ombre et de lumiere trES difficile a rendre et cette
difficulte a‘Ete fort bien vaincue.”

From the initial sentence describing the first
painting, the reader cannot doubt that the shepherd Damon
constitutes its subject:

Voyez-vous en premier lieu, ce berger assis en
terre,,le dos appuye contre le chesne, 1es jambes
croisees, qul Joue de la cornemuse? C'est 1e
beau berger Damon, qui eut ce nom de beau pour la
perfection de son visage (I, 11, 4H2).
However, despite the illumination emphasizing Damon, d'Urfe'
adds immediately that figures in the painting are not uni-

formly bathed in light which would render it simple for the

spectator to distinguish them.

as

The third painting emphasizes the obfuscation of
natural light that operates in multiple sections of a work
of art:

Or regardez un peu plus bas 1e long de Lignon.

Voicy une trouppe de brebis qui est a 1'ombre, ...

c‘ est 1e troupeau de Damon, que vous verrez si

vous tournez 1a veue en ga dans l'eau jusques a

la ceinture. Considerez comme ces jeunes arbres

courbez 1e couvrent des rayons du soleil, et

semblent presque estre joyeux qu'autre qu'eux ne

le voye. Et toutesfois 1a curosite du soleil est

si grande, qu' encores entre 1es diverses feuilles,

i1 trouve passage a quelques-uns de ses rayons.

Prenez garde comme ceste ombre et ceste clairte

y sont bien representees (I, 11,445).
Now, as both Damon and his flock rest in the forest shadows,
shielding him from sunlight, the personified trees would
like to believe him invisible. D'Urfgls narrative portrays
them as connivers who have contrived an elaborate scheme
aimed at obscuring the shepherd‘s presence and who are
joyous that no one other than themselves can see him. The
sun does succeed in penetrating to the forest floor. How-
ever, although its curiosity is great, since tree leaves
filter its rays, only some of them break through. Such
occasional penetration is thus minimal when compared to the
omnipresent shadow, and obscurity reigns victorious.

The fourth tableau also demonstrates the effect that
Chiaroscuro exerts among various sections of a painting.
The moon and stars that populate the night sky comprise two
of its sources:

/
Voicy une nuict fort bien representee. Voyez comme
sous l'obscur de ses ombres, ces montaignes

paroissent en sorte qu'elles se monstrent un peu,
et si en effet on ne scauroit bien juger que c'est.

1+5

Prenez garde comme ces estoilles semblent tremousser.

... Voila‘le Dragon, auquel il a bien mis 1es trente

et une estoilles, mais si n'en monstre-t‘il bien que

treize, dont 1es cinq, comme vous voyez, sont de la

quatriesme grandeur, et 1es huict de la troisiesme,

... Mais que ces nuages sont bien representez, qui

en quelques lieux couvrent le ciel avec epaisseur,

en d’autres seulement comme une legere fumee, et

ailleurs point du tout, et selon qu'ils sont plus

ou moins eslevez, ils sont plus ou moins clairsl

(I, 11, use—a7)
Before moving to the heavens, d'Urfe depicts the terrestrial
scene, where whatever has transpired above yields light and
shadow. Here the shadow is so heavy, that it renders even
mountains indistinguishable. Since the stars, the moon, and
the clouds unite to create this effect, d'Urfe/ devotes the
majority of his description to them. First he presents the
reader with a detailed account of the stars that, considered
as an expansive unit, shimmer in the sky and that, divided
into various constellations, are differentiated as stars of
varying magnitudes. These differences in magnitude render
certain ones brighter than others. The combination of
twinkling and variations in brightness yields constantly
changing patterns of light. Brightly illuminated areas of
the sky may darken somewhat; blacker ones may begin to
glitter. Doubling this continually altering Chiaroscuro are
the clouds that, at the moment, cover one part of the sky
heavily, another lightly, and another not at all. Despite
the brilliance of its stars, the portion of the sky under
heavy cover appears black. The portion that enjoys lighter

cloud cover seems much brighter. Only in the cloudless

region does the Chiaroscuro of the stars remain unimpaired.

1+6
The clouds also affect another source of light--the moon.
Its absence from d‘Urfg:s description merely reinforces the
effect that the clouds exert on it as it hovers in an area
which they obscure from view. Given the Chiaroscuro of the
stars, the darkening clouds, and the apparent absence of a
moon, the earthly shadows are well justified.
In the same picture, the earthly shadows created

by the stars, the clouds, and the moon are paralleled by
those which result from a burning candle:

Avant que passer plus outre, considerez un peu

l‘artifice de ceste peinture. Voyez 1es effets

de la chandelle de Mandrague, entre les obscuritez

de la nuict. Elle a tout le coste gauche du visage

fort clair, et le reste tellement obscur qu'il

semble un visage different; la bouche entr'ouverte

paroist par le dedans claire, autant que 1‘ouverture

peut permettre a'la clarte d'y entrer, et le bras

qui tient la chandelle, vous le voyez aupres de la

main, fort obscur, a cause que le livre qu‘elle tient

y fait ombre, et le reste est si Clair par dessus

qu'il fait plus paroistre la noirceur du dessous.

Et de mesme avec combien de consideration ont estez

observez 1es effets que ceste chandelle fait en ces

demons, car 1es uns et les autres, selon qu'ils sont

tournez, sont esclaires ou obscurcis (I, ll, N47-H8).
Just as the stars and moon are set in the black sky, this
source of light glows in the darkness. The opening of
Mandrague's mouth and the book that she holds in one hand
are reminiscent of the clouds that prohibit some of the
light from celestial sources from falling to earth.
Although, initially, d'Urfe mentions that Mandrague's half-
opened mouth is clearly illuminated, immediately thereafter,

he demurs. Since the inside of her mouth can only receive

as much light as its Opening permits and the aperture is

47
large enough to allow candlelight to penetrate only to cer—
tain areas, much of the mouth lies in darkness. Although
one would expect the arm holding a candle to be bathed in
light, ironically, in this painting, the portion of Man-
drague's arm that is closest to the candle receives the
least light. Blocking the passage of the rays of the
candle, an intervening barrier, a book, causes deep shadow.
As he has the setting of the fourth painting,

/
d'Urfe describes that of the sixth in minute detail:

Voicy 1e lever du soleil: prenez garde a‘la

longueur de ses ombres, et comme d'un coste 1e

ciel est un eu moins clair. Voyez ces nues qui

sont a moitie air, comme il semble que peu a peu

elles s'aillent eslevansl Ces petits oyseaux qui

semblent en montant chanter et tremousser de

l'aisle, sont des alouettes qui se vont seichans

de la rosee au nouveau soleil; ces oyseaux mal

formez qui d‘un vol incertain se vont cachant, sont

des chats huans qui fuyent le soleil, dont la montagne

couvre encores une partie, et l'autre reluit si

claire qu'on ne 3 auroit juger que ce/fust autre

chose qu'une gran e et confuse clairte (I, ll, HSO-Sl).
Unlike the setting in the fourth tableau, here the sun is
rising. D'Urfé informs the reader of this fact in the first
clause and again midway through the paragraph. Between
these two explicit statements appears a description of the
effects of sunrise. The sun has not yet reached a point in
the heavens from which it may bathe the world in light.
Therefore, shadows remain long and the western sky is not as
bright as the eastern. Initially, light morning clouds
veil the sun and the inert mountains do nothing to assist

the awakening daystar. However, even as the viewer watches,

airy clouds ascend and thus allow a clear view of the star.

48

While its unobstructed portion shines so clearly, the area
behind the slopes remains invisible. Until it climbs above
the slopes and clouds have completely dissipated, sunlight
will remain confused and certain sections of the morning
sky will be brighter than others.

Confusion also exists in the microcosm of the birds.
In fact, in order to describe their flight, d'Urfe/ uses a
term which he applies to the stars in his description of
the fourth painting: when they climb, the larks' wings
flutter (”tremousser"). Just as the western sky escapes its
rays, the birds flee the sun in order to locate a hiding
place. They impress the spectator with the quality of their
flight. As sunlight and its coloring of the sky change con-
stantly when each new day dawns, so the birds' fluttering
wings propel them constantly in their search for either more
expansive skies or a hidden refuge.

In the majority of the six paintings, the technique
of Chiaroscuro performs a specific function. In each one,
by their interaction, darkness and light continually replace
each other. Changes in light bewilder the observer by mak-
ing objects and situations appear what they are not. In the
third painting, although the sun is shining, only the most
astute individual perceives Damon as the shepherd stands
obscured by shadows which the trees create. Because of
dense cloud cover, the moon that should provide the fourth
tableau with light appears to have deserted its realm. As

a result, the mountains appear veiled and do not immediately

49
disclose their identity. D‘Urfe’informs us that ”on ne
spauroit bien juger que c‘est" (I, ll, 4H6). As for the
candle that illuminates Mandrague, it possesses the power
neither to penetrate the book whose shadow makes her forearm
seem non-existent nor to alter the darkness that may lead
the spectator to believe that one side of her face belongs
to another individual. In the final picture of the series,
rather than moonlight or candlelight, sunlight Operates its
trickery. Ironically, the sun plays games with itself.
Rising in the east, it would have mankind believe that the
western sky still lies under the cover of night. Obscured
as it seeks to climb above the mountain peaks, it appears
that only half of it remains, because the other has ex—
hausted itself. After reading of all six paintings, one
impression remains. In his description of the final
tableau, d'UrféIdenotes it as ”grand, confus clarte? (I,

ll, #51). As part of the author‘s final comment, these two
adjectives summarize the effect that the sun, moon, stars,

clouds, and candlelight have operated on physical reality.
The Six-Part Model for Structural Ambiguity

Since the six pictures recount a unified story and
Chiaroscuro constitutes an important technique in three of
them, it then serves as a technique in unfolding the story
that they tell. It reinforces the six-part structure of the

narrative:

SO

La pittura nell'Astree ha, insomma, 1a funzione di

far risaltare in modo netto il tema (squisitamente

barocco) della finzione, dell'illusione e dellL,

inganno.... i personnagi del romanzo di d'Urfe,

privi come sono di riferimento...., oscillano....,

tra l‘essere e l'apparenza, tra la realta e

l'illusione, tra la verita‘e la menzonga.5
The play between appearance and reality is skillfully de-
picted by the alternation and movement of darkness and
light. Consideration of the six elements of the struc-
tural core of the story indicates that, concomitantly, the
confusion in the physical macrocosm is reflected in the
emotional lives of the three main subjects in the paintings.
At the beginning of the account, it appears that the first
structural element, Damon, is incapable of loving a woman.
D'Urfe’reveals this to the reader in his description of the
first composition: "car autant que Damon a 1'esprit libre
et repose: autant ont ces bergeres 1es coeurs passionnez
pour luy, encor; comme vous voyez, i1 ne daigne tourner les
yeux sur elles” (I, ll, ##2). His attitude is verbalized as
scorn. By extension, from the outset, it is apparent that
Damon does not reciprocate the affection of the second ele-
ment, Fortune. Since the third element, Mandrague as
obstacle, meets with unqualified success in her effort to
have the fountain represent false love, seemingly, she will
also meet with success in her attempt to prevent the union
of Damon and Fortune. Her ostensible success engenders the

fourth element of this intrigue. In reaction to a projected

life of unrelieved unhappiness, the couple despairs.

51

Just as confusion in the narrative parallels that
in the paintings, the disappearance of the dichotomy between
appearance and reality from the emotional sphere is matched
by the resolution of pictorial ghiaroscugg. The third pic-
ture initially conceals its subject in the shadows provided
by trees. It seems that the fourth pictorial representa-
tion would have the viewer believe that one face belongs to
two persons. Eventually, the discriminate observer uncovers
Damon among the heavy patches of darkness in the third
painting. In the fourth, it becomes obvious that the
shadowy area that escapes candlelight is nothing more than
the other side of Mandrague's face. In the fourth painting,
Chiaroscuro also seeks to conceal an object of considerably
greater mass than a human being. When clouds hide the moon,
the night relies on stars for illumination. Deprived of
their usual strong source of light, a chain of mountains of
undetermined number and size is at first difficult to dis-
tinguish. Naturally, despite the poor lighting, the
observer finally perceives the mountains. In the last pic-
torial representation, it is the Chiaroscuro of sunrise that
seeks resolution. Once it has climbed from behind its
mountain hiding place, the sun will correct the false
impression that it is semicircular in form and the bright-
ness of its rays will erase the shadows that fill the
western sky.

Structurally, with the fifth component of the love

story, the reversal, emotional confusion ends. This phase

52

of the structure emanates directly from the couple's re-
action to their unhappiness. When Damon and Fortune
profess their love, they effect a reversal in the plot.
Reality conquers the appearance associated with the first
four structural elements. The love of Damon and Fortune has
always been mutual; the obstacle on which Mandrague prides
herself has proven ineffective; the threatened unrelieved
unhappiness of the shepherd and his lady has proven merely
temporary:

La realite deroule de l‘illusion, ou encore, \

l'illusion debouche sur la realite. Ce n' est qu‘a

travers l‘illusion que la realite peut etre

atteinte, decouverte, percee. Alors, 1‘illusi8n

est aussi un Viol. Et 1e viol une liberation.
If d'Urfg uses the adjective "troupes" to denote Fortune be-
fore the reversal, surely the description is inaccurate
afterward. When the account ends, no one is deceived any
longer.

In spite of this reversal, the sixth structural ele-
ment remains unchanged. The Fountain of the Truth of Love
has not yet regained its capacity to indicate reciprocal
spiritual love. Although Damon and Fortune have finally
discovered their mutual love, they have done so only after
suffering and without assistance from the fountain:

L’importance,de cette Fontaine vient de ce qu 'elle
permet de decouvrir 1es tromperies des amants avec
une certitude totale, une objectivite incontestable;
ainsi, une fois la Verite trouvee, reconnue, 1es
amants n' ont plus rien a craindre des illusions de

l‘amour.

In succeeding generations, of necessity, other couples will

53
also rely on personal resources in their search. They,
too, will endure great unhappiness, until, with the removal
of this obstacle, uncertainty is overcome and transformed

into a joyful denouement.
Structural Ambiguity in the Episodes of LflAstree

/’
As d‘Urfe weaves the structure of LfAétree, uncer-

 

tainty dominates. Like Chiaroscuro in a painting, struc-
tural ambiguity creates uncertainty in a novel. In this
case, each structural segment is a love story. One impor—
tant reason why the outcome of an individual narrative
remains obscured is frequent shift in emphasis among all of
the narratives. Henri Bochet‘s schema of the order of
appearance of episodes in these recurring stories will pro-
vide an example of Honore d'Urfels prolongation of the

resolution of his intrigues.8 The narrative involving the

basic pair Lydias and Amerine appears there twice. Opening
on page 457 of the first volume, it continues only much
later in volumes four and five. However, when taken up once
more, it continues for more than one hundred pages until it
achieves resolution. In the tables of contents of L'Astree
the story is listed on five different occasions. Since
Bochet's schema and the table of contents list only the
major occurrences of any narrative, infrequent flashbacks

or shortlived references to a particular one do not appear

there. Nor do judgments which Diane, Silvandre, Phillis,

5N

and Leonide pass on certain lovers‘ complaints and which
thus momentarily return the reader to a particular emotional
conflict. Although they are of primary importance to
Bochet, the two most important stories (those of Astree and
Cgladon and Diane and Silvandre) are not mentioned at all
in the table of contents. In addition to the occurrences
listed in Bochet‘s schema and in the contents, one may
allow an additional half dozen or more appearances for most
of the stories. By dividing his own attention among more
than twenty-five narratives at various intervals, d‘Urfe’
forces the reader to do likewise:

,L'Astree richiede, insomma, la costante collaborazione

del destinatario, vale a dire una lettura che

riorganizzi e riordini 1e tessere del mosaico disposte

in un‘ordine complesso (e non certo casuale) dal

sapiente autore barocco.
The result is uncertainty and tension as the reader awaits
the final reversal in the plot and subsequent denouement of
each intrigue.

The second manner in which d‘Urfe’obscures the out-
come of one or more stories is by intercalating another one
within them. By means of mutual intercalation, Ligdamon's
and Lydias' adventures become subdivisions of each other.
Even the names of the two heroes are similar. As each story
continues, it is possible for the reader to confuse the
names and, thus, to confuse the sequence of events in one
or both stories. In an oral message to Silvie, Ligdamon's

servant partially explains the manner in which the stories

became intertwined. Far from Forez:

55

i1 estoit vray que mon maistre ressembloit de telle

sorte a Lydias, que tous ceux qui le voyaient le

prenoient pour luy Et ce Lydias estoit un jeune\

homme de ce pais- la, qui estant amoureux d‘une tres

belle dame, s' estoit battu avec Aronthe son rival,

de qui la jalousie ayoit est6 telle, qu il s' estoit

laisser aller au dela de son devoir, mesdisant

d'elle et de luy ... (I, 11,H29).
Mistaken for the murderer Lydias, Ligdamon is constantly
pursued by those seeking revenge. He escapes death only
because, believing him to be Lydias, the lovely Amerine asks
to marry him. In another part of the country, arrested for
Aronthe‘s murder, Lydias is imprisoned by Lipandas. He
escapes death when, disguised as a man, Melandre earns his
freedom in a duel. Free, Lydias and Ligdamon are constantly
mistaken for each other. When, at one point, the major
characters of both narratives are within a few yards of each
other, confusion reaches its zenith:

Mais elle [Silvie] estoit bien deceue, car celuy

qu'elle avoit pris pour Ligdamon, c'estoit Lydias

qui suivant Melandre, et Melandre le faux Lydias,

estoient venus jusques en Forests, et celle qui

1e caressoit, c‘ estoit Amerine ... (IV, 12,755).
Just as Silvie mistakes Lydias for Ligdamon, Amerine mis—
takes him for the man whom she saved from death. Ironi-
cally, Lydias is the man whom she would have saved had
Ligdamon not been imprisoned in his place. Given the
similarity of the respective heroes' names, their physical
resemblance, and the interrelationship of plots, it is
easily comprehensible that the reader sometimes finds him-

self associating certain episodes with the incorrect story.

By means of subordinate intercalation, the relationship of

56
Melandre and Lipandas also becomes associated with Lydias.
As d'Urfg’turns from the major intrigue to its minor one and
back again, the reader may begin to doubt as to which will
eventually demonstrate its greater importance. He wonders
which man will marry Amerine and which will accept Melandre.
All is resolved as the fifth volume begins: in a double
ceremony, Lydias weds Amerine and Lipandas marries Melandre.
Ligdamon returns to Forez, Silvie accepts his troth, and
their wedding is imminent. As they did in the pictorial
story of Damon and Fortune, appearance and ambiguity have
evaporated in reality.

With more than twenty-five tales unraveling simul-
taneously, confusingly similar names, and stories within a
story, the ultimate ambiguity results. Lfgstréé may seem
a novel without a clear direction. All narratives have the
same six—part structure; all are interrupted upon numerous
occasions; all are resolved happily as even the inconstant
Hylas meets his match in Stelle and decides to marry. The
reader may find no basis on which to order their importance
to the novel as a whole. Rather than a novel has Honor6’
d‘Ur e created a collection of confusingly related short
stories? Such might be the case were it not for one parti-
cular love story: that of Astr6e and C6ladon is the back-
ground fabric into which the remaining stories are woven.
When the remaining intrigues are considered in relation-

/’
ship to theirs, the direction of LfAstree is clear:

57

Rien n'est laiss6 au hasard, rien ne reste inexpliqu6;
rien n' est de trOp, dans tout cet immense roman ...
fourmillant d'histoires intercal6es, l‘unit6
dLaction est complete. Tous les personnages des
recits secondaires passent un moment au premier
plan; presque toujours ils ont un rapport organique
avec 1e sort des protagonistes [Astr6e et C6ladon].
... De la une impression de s6curit6 et de clart6
qui se d6gage du livre tout lent et touffu qu' il
est: le lecteur sent toujours la pr6sence d'un
dieu bienveillant quiogouverne ce petit univers
d'une main ferme ...

The disagreement between Astr6e and C6ladon is the first one
that d‘Urf6 begins to recount. He introduces the reader to
the first four elements of its basic core in the first
/

thirty—five pages of the novel. Astr6e and Celadon comprise
the first two elements. The obstacle to their love is the
jealousy that inspires Astr6e to banish him from her sight.
Apparently unjustly unloved, C6ladon reacts despondently:

quand je seray mort, et que ceste cruelle [Astree]

te [un des cordons qu' Astr6e met aux cheveux]

verra, pour estre sur moy, tu l'asseures qu‘il n' y a

rien au monde qui puisse estre plus aim6 que je

l’aime ni amant plus mal recogneu que je suis.

... A peine eut— il fini ces mots, que tournant

les yeux du cost6 de l'Astr6e 11 se jetta 1es bras

croisez dans la riviere (I, l, 13).
Although the shepherd eventually floats ashore unharmed,
Astr6e is unaware of his safety. Apparently permanently
deprived of C61adon of her own volition, she grieves re-
morsefully:

Astr6e remplie de tant d'occasions d'ennuis, comme

je vous ay dit lascha si bien la bande a ses

pleurs, et 8' assoupit tellement en sa douleur,

que pour n'avoir assez de larmes pour laver son

erreur, ny assez de paroles pour declarer son

regret, ses yeux et sa bouche remirent leur

office a son imagination ... (I, 1,23)

For most of the five volumes of LfAstr6e, the couple lives

58

in misery, because each feels certain that he has lost the
other permanently. Finally, Astr66 reveals her love for
C6ladon to the disguised shepherd himself:

Pourveu ... qu'elle [Leonide] accomplisse sa

promesse, et qu‘elle me fasse voir Celadon, je suis

contente, et quelque horreur que nous remarquions

dans cette solitude, elle se perdra sans doute aux

premiers regards de mon berger (V, 6, 255).
Reassured by her words, he abandons his disguise and it
would seem that the two might regain their lost love.
Ironically, Astr6e finds in C6ladon‘s disguise another
source of discontent. Ashamed of the liberties that he en-
joyed when disguised as Alexis, she inflicts a greater pun-
ishment upon him: ”Perfide et trompeuse Alexis, meurs pour
l'expiation de ton crime ...” (V, 6, 259). Rather than a
reversal in the plot, C6ladon‘s confession has engendered a
second obstacle to the resumption of their relationship.
Now under a double curse from his mistress, C6ladon vacil—
lates between the two identities due to which she inflicted
the curse upon him: "Je ne spay lequel des deux me doit
estre plus cher, car soubs celuy d'Alexis, Astr66 m‘a
command6’de mourir, et soubs celuy de C6ladon, elle me de-
fendit sa presence" (V, 10, #20). It is apparent that the
couple will not be united and, as the novel draws to a
close, theirs is one of the two disagreements that have not
been resolved. By comparison with the relative shortness
and easier resolution of the remaining rifts, this one gen—

erates the greatest tension and ambiguity in the reader.

59
Finally ending this tension and ambiguity, the God of Love
declares that they should marry, Adamas promises to offi-
ciate at the ceremony, and the Fountain of the Truth of
Love corroberates the couple's reciprocal love with their
reflection in its waters.

When Astr66 and C6ladon attempt to sacrifice them-
selves to the lions and unicorns that guard the fountain,
they escape unharmed. At this moment, the God of Love
descends to order the assembly to return on the following
day to learn the resolution of the oracle that had prevented
the fountain's proper function. Although Love's first pro-
clamation when he reappears entrusts Astr6e to C61adon, his
second initially appears to sound the death knell of the re-
lationship of Diane and Silvandre:

Mais quoy, pour obeyr aux Arrests du Destin,

Silvandre doit mourir et laisser pour butin
Diane a Paris qui l‘adore;

Et je commande encore

Que ce berger [Silvandre] meure demain,
Immol6 de ta main.

(v, ll, #76)
When Adamas discovers in Silvandre his lost son, Paris, the
declaration loses all overtones of anathema. After Love's
departure, in a third development, Adamas deciphers the
oracle that controlled the fountain's re-enchantment:

je juge que comme cette amante qui devoit mourir
estoit Alexis, ce fidelle amant aussi n'a deu
estre autre que Silvandre. ... Ils sont assez
morts tous deux quand l'un a cess6 d'estre Alexis
et feinte druide pour devenir Celadon; et l'autre
quand il a cess6 d'estre Silvandre et berger pour
devenir Paris et mon fils (V, 12, 533).

6O

Paradoxically, the disguise that almost cost C6ladon
Astr66's love now engenders accessibility to the fountain.
Equally paradoxical is the fact that the identity of ”Sil-
vandre” that once seemed to render him ineligible to lOve
Diane can now complete the second phase Of satisfying the
oracle. With the oracle satisfied, the element that com-
prised the sixth part Of the basic structure of each love
story has finally become Operative. After thousands of
pages of inaccessibility, the fountain functions again.

Astr66 and C6ladon are the first to demonstrate the
fountain's regained capacity to reflect ideal love: "Cela-
don se baissa mais a peine eut—il jett6’l'oeil dans l'eau
qu‘il y vid sa maistresse ...” (V, 12, 534). Reassured,
the remaining couples in Forez follow them to its basin. By
extension, Astr6e’s and C6ladon's reflections accomplish
even more by returning the land Of Forez to a state Of emo—
tional peace which preceded the beginning Of their diffi-
culties: ”il semble encore aujourd‘huy que dans son plus
doux murmure, elle [la rivigre Lignon] ne parle d'autre
chose que du repos de CELADON et de la felicite d'ASTREE”
(V, 12, 528). The reader can no longer doubt that the com-
bined love stories Of L'Astr6e are designed to reinforce the
primacy Of the friction between Astr66 and C6ladon and to
prepare the reader for its eventual resolution in bliss.
Only then can the novel end on a note Of hope.

In addition to returning Forez to peace and certain-

ty, the re-enchantment Of the fountain returns the reader to

61

the model pictorial story of Damon and Fortune:

il nous est indique, entre la mort du r6cit et le

salut des personnages- h6ros, un point strict de

rencontre, la Fontaine de la V6rit6 d'Amour, ou

se peindra l'image de l'Amant aupres de l‘Amante

ou la peinture et le r6cit se fondiint en une

surface unique, et r6fl6chissante.
This return ends three thousand pages Of tension and ambi—
guity, as it finds a clear reflection Of the couple's faces
rather than the Chiaroscuro that dominated the illustration
Of the love story Of Damon and Fortune. We have demon-
strated the presence and importance Of structural ambiguity
among the multiple segments Of this work. It remains for
us to examine in detail how the protagonists in one seg-
ment-~the central love story Of L'Astr66--follow the model

provided by the paintings representing the story Of Damon

and Fortune.

62

Notes

1’
lMaurice Laugaa, "La Peinture dans L' Astree,"\in
Bulletin de la Diana, Colloque comm6moratif _du quatrieme
centenaire de la naissance d' Honor6 d' Urf6, Num6ro sp6cial

(1970), p. 76.
2lbid., p. 87.

3Bruce Morrissette, ”Structures de la sensibilit6’
baroque dans le roman pre- classique, " Cahiers de l'Associa-
tion internationale des 6tudes fran aises, no. 11- (mai,

1959): p 100°

LfBernard Germa,.L' Astr6e de Honor6 d‘ Urf6, ,_3_ com—
posigion, son influence (Paris: Picard et fils, 190),
p. l 7

5Giorgetto Giorgi, L'Astr66 di Honoré’d'Urf6’tra

Barocco e_ClassicismO (Florence: La Nuova Italia Editrice,

197:), p. 30.
6Ehrmann,._p..git., p. H2.
7Ibid., p. 73.

8Refer to the appendix for a table which shows the
recurrences and intercalation Of love stories.

9Giorgi, 22! cit., p. 28.

10 .
Maria Gerhardt, La astorale: essal d‘analyse
litteraire (Assen: Van Gercum, 1950), pp. 256-57.

llLaugaa, _p, cit., p. 9%.

CHAPTER III
CELADON‘S DESCENT INTO DARKNESS

When Honor6’d'Urf6'began writing the first volume
of L'Astr6e in the 1590's Chiaroscuro was still a rela-
tively new artistic technique. Unlike the Baroque period
that marked the height of its use, the Renaissance had been
typified by clarity which concealed little and immediately
distinguished every object in a painting from the others.
The Classical style that followed the Baroque returned to
such total clarity. When Andr6’F6libien applies the term
Clair-obscur to this seventeenth-century Classical style, he
limits its possibilities to the emulation of the natural
tones of darkness and light inherent in an object:

Et le Clair-obscur est l'art de distribuer avan-

0

tageusement les lumieres a les ombres ... [sur]

les objets particuliers pour leur donner,le relief

& la rondeur convenable: & dans le general du

Tableau, pour y faire voir les objets avec Elaisir

en donnant occasion a la vue de se reposer.
Shades of color recreate the inherent form and hue of indi-
vidual objects, so that they seem normal to the observer.
Among all of the objects in a painting, contrasting illumi-
nation offers islands of darkness and light which provide

two services for the viewer: the simple, regular patterns

allow his eye to rest; the contrast renders objects clear.

63

64
By producing clarity, this conception of Clair-obscur re—
inforces that component of a painter's art which is the most
important to F6libien-—drawing. Unless an artist can draw
as well as the ancients carved, his works will not approach

2 If he can draw well and incorporate F6libien‘s

perfection.
conception of Clair-obscur, he will attain the Classical
ideal of total clarity.
In works produced between 1550 and 1660, Baroque

Chiaroscuro and its predecessor, Leonardo da Vinci's
sfumato, provide a marked contrast to the attention and
clarity accorded individual objects in Renaissance and Clas-
sical paintings. Sfumato lies somewhere between Benaissance/
Classical and Baroque lighting techniques:

Il n' y a plus de contraste entre la lumiére et

l'ombre, mais un long degrad6 de la lumiere vers

l'ombre dans lequel tout est model6 dans une douce

p6nombre: personnages, fleurs, rochers ... appar-

aissent pour disparaltre aussitot dans le tout, 3
sans perdre la valeur constructive de leurs formes.

Like Renaissance/Classical lighting, it allows all main sub-
jects of a painting to retain their individual value. How-
ever, like Baroque lighting, it begins to immerse these
individual entities in the whole. Although light still
falls upon individual objects, the artist no longer rele—
gates darkness to another section of the canvas in order to
provide contrast or allow the eye to rest. Before an object
ends, shadow obscures the location of brush strokes which

previously indicated the outlines of forms. It then

65
lightens somewhat (penumbra) in order to allow the object to
partially merge with surrounding space.

With the advent of the Baroque, light and shadow
take an active role for the first time. Like F6libien,
Roger de Piles recognizes that, by grace of the artist's
carefully planned arrangement of content, darkness and light
may yield total pictorial clarity.1+ He also accepts the
fact that he must use them to reproduce an object‘s natural
form and hue. However, de Piles does not consider these two
effects of darkness and light Clair-obscur:

L'incidence de la lumiere se d6montre par des

lignes que l'on suppose tirees de la source de la

me.e lumiere sur un corps qu‘elle‘6claire. Elle

force & necessite le Peintre a lui ob6ir: au

lieu que le Clair-obscur depend absolument de l'imagi-

nation du Peintre. Car celui qui invente\les objets

est maitre de les disposer d'une maniere a recevoir

les lumieres & les ombres telles qu‘il les desire

dans son Tableau, & d'y introduige les accidens ...

dont il pourra tirer l‘avantage.
A painter cannot resist reproducing the natural darkness and
light delineating and coloring an object (”Elle force &

/

n6cessite le Peintre E lui obeir"). Beyond this natural
reproduction, his imagination may invent any use of darkness
and light which he wishes. To de Piles, this inventive use
constitutes Clair-obscur. He is primarily concerned with
accidents of nature:

L’Accident en Peinture est une interruption qui

se fait de la lumiere du soleil par l'interposi-

tion des nuages, en sorte qu'il y ait des endroits

eclair6s sur la terre, & d'autres ombres, qui

selon le mouvement des nuages se succedent les uns

aux autres, & font des effets merveilleux ... 6
L'exemple s'en voit journellement sur la Nature ...

66
The key word in the description is movement. Since the suc-
cessive interruptions of sunlight by the clouds will not
allow light to stand still, Clair—obscur relegates objects
to a mere background for changes in light. Sunrise, sunset,
and blockage of sunlight by tree branches are other natural
sources of accidental Chiaroscuro. When he categorizes the
effects of this technique as unbelievable (”merveilleux”),
de Piles implies the capacity with which he feels that
Chiaroscuro is endowed. It is capable of creating effects
which elevate a painting to a fantasy world. While Fglibien
treats Clair-obscur as an afterthought which serves merely
to further delineate an excellent rendering, de Piles con—
siders it the superior skill. As evidenced by its incorpor-
ation in.L}Astr6e, Honor6'd'Urf6 shares de Piles' opinion.
Chiaroscuro does not depend uniquely upon the inter-

action of sunlight and natural surroundings. Caravaggio's
”Vocation of St. Matthew" (1597-1600) offers an example.
Here, relative obscurity results when bright light passes
through the obstacle created by a small window high on one
wall and cuts through the darkness in the room:

Toute la po6tique de Caravage est ici formul6e

dans l'incidence du rayon qui’descend d'un sou—

pirail ouvert dans lfobscurite d'une chambre aux

murs noircis. Lumiere pauvre et arbitraire mais
beaucoup plus vraie puisqu' elle suggere davantage

Although bright, since only one ray of light penetrates an
enclosure steeped in blackness, it succeeds merely in sug-

gesting forms. When the viewer seeks the painter's

67
collaboration in identifying the center of interest, the
Chiaroscuro ceases to suggest. Both Christ, who beckons,
and Matthew, who eventually responds, lie outside the path
of sunlight in the obscurity of the black-walled room. Only
a bystander, a substantial expanse of air, and the air hole
("le soupirail”) itself receive illumination. The passive
role of viewing a Renaissance/Classical painting does not
exist; the viewer of a Baroque work must collaborate in
order to determine its subject.

The same contrast is true of Classical and Baroque
literature. Jean Rousset has enumerated their diametrically
opposed characteristics:

au lieu de se presenter comme l'unite mouvante/

d'un ensemble multiforme, l'oeuvre classique r6alise
son unit6 en immobilisant toutes ses parties. en
fonction d'un centre fixe; au lieu d' etre animee

par un mouvement qui se\propage au dela d'elle-
meme, elle se contient a l'int6rieur de ses propres
limites; au lieu de se faire eclater ou vaciller

ses structures, elle les stabilise et les renforce;
au lieu d'inviter le spectateur a la mobilite et a
l‘inqui6tude, elle le rassemble sur lui-meme et le

/
contraint au repos, le denoue dags l'apaisement
d'une contemplation silencieuse.

Once again, the contrast is that between relative and total
clarity in the final interpretation of a work. Baroque and
Classical literature achieve unity in different ways. In
the former, movement is of primary importance. Numerous
parts constantly appear to move in relation to each other
and to the creation as a whole. Some may even project them-
selves beyond the limits of the work to another point in

time, thus discouraging closure and resolution. Faced with

68
varying patterns of movement, projection, and lack of
resolution, the reader cannot lapse into a quiescent state.
As content changes, his mind moves in an effort to interpret
it and arrive at relative clarity after his experience. In
Classical literature, immobility is the dominant effect.
Although numerous parts may comprise a work, its center is
so rigid, that all of them fall neatly into order around it.
Since none of them ever projects itself beyond the confines
of the work to another point in time, closure and resolution
are foregone conclusions. The reader experiences certainty
and repose, because the author has already provided these
guarantees of total clarity.

Relative clarity also occurs in Baroque literature
in the form of Chiaroscuro as it is understood by Roger de
Piles. In his discussion of the French Baroque, Friedrich
Schuerr emphasizes both components of coloris--color and
chiaroscuro--and applies them as if language were the brush
strokes of a painting: ”eine romanhaft bunte Handlung . . .
ausgedrueckt in einem sprachlichen Brillantfeuerwerk. Der
Eindruck gibt ein unklares verschwommenes Bild mit ausge-
setzten Lichtern."9 Were it not for the adjectives ”novel-
istic" (”romanhaft”) and ”linguistic” (”sprachlichen”), the
reader could easily imagine that he was reading art criti-
cism. Schuerr selects the remainder of his terminology from
that field. Handling his presentation with a bright, color-
ful, pyrotechnic effect, the artist in question nonetheless

succeeds in creating an unclear ("unklares, verschwommenes”)

69

picture interspersed with lights. As in a Baroque painting,
bright, colorful lights can still yield Chiaroscuro. In the
introduction to his anthology of Baroque poetry, Jean
Rousset speaks of Chiaroscuro as it occurs in this parti-
cular literary genre:

Ce qui est plus partigulier aux poEtes ici re-

cueillis, c‘ est le frequent recours a un type d'images

plus conforme a la d6marche tatonnante et au gout

des\contours incertains, des formes qui s inter—

penetrent: les images englobants a la fois la

lumiere et l‘ombre, la voile et la chose voil6e/,

bien qu‘ entrevue: .lObrouillard, nuage, fum6e, nuee,
ombre, aurore ...

While Schuerr emphasizes the color and Chiaroscuro connoted
by certain linguistic elements, Rousset limits himself to
the natural Chiaroscuro of which Roger de Piles speaks.
Myriad phenomena may block the sun's rays. Resembling each
other, fog and smoke constitute filmy obstructions which
filter light as it passes. Heavier and more mobile, clouds
create constantly changing patterns of darkness and light
which vary from brightness to shadow and momentary total
blackness. The sun is the victim of Chiaroscuro when it
rises each morning.

Baroque Chiaroscuro also occurs in.LfAstr66. Its
presence is most evident in the six paintings that comprise

l.ll Walther

the structural model for the entire nove
Fischer maintains that, despite his knowledge of other ar-
tistic techniques, when describing the paintings, Honor6

d'Urf6 concentrates on Chiaroscuro to the exclusion of the

second component of coloris:

70
he leaves the coloring of the pictures almost
out of consideration. He speaks only of chiar-
oscuro (Tab. IV), and, in a few instances
(Tab. III, VI), mentions sunlight effects, or
depicts a night scene (Tab. IV). But he always

uses general and vague expressiins, and never
gives any characteristic color.

DVUrf6 uses the accidental Chiaroscuro mentioned by de Piles
when he has the arbitrary movement of tree leaves and clouds
block light in the third and fourth paintings and mountains
obstruct the spectator's view of the rising sun in the
sixth. He uses the interplay of bright and weak light when
he has a candle glow in the blackness of a cave and partial-
ly conceal the individual holding it. Reinforcing this

- / C O 0
1nd1catlon of d‘Urfe's Baroque use of Chiaroscuro, 1n hls

 

praise of the novelist, Bernard Germa favorably compares it
with the lighting effects created by Claude Lorrain in his
paintings in the stage of his art that is considered
Baroque.13 Throughout LfAstr6e, d'Urf6 continues to omit
descriptions of color and devote his attention to chiar-
oscuro.

The distinction between the effects of Baroque and
Classical lighting in the fine arts and literature reflects
the distinction between the heroes who populate those en—
vironments:

le/h6ros classique... sera [reli6 au monde] par son
idee de l'ordonnance sociale, par celle du devoir

ou du sentiment; le h6ros baroque, c‘ est peut- -etre

la ce qui le spébifie’lep pus, incarne un moment soli-
taire. Il n'est relie qu' a sa propre fascination,
son/6thique se veut tout interieur et spontan6e.

Aussi, 8' il est’autonome, pour lui rien’n' est fait,
rien n' est donne, sa v6rite est a conquerir, ou

71

plut63ha~manifester, a r6alisifiz le monde est
le theatre de cette aventure.

Just as the figures on which Classical light falls are
clearly ordered in the viewer‘s eye, the Classical hero
lives an orderly existence. One or more social sanctions
restrict him to the lifestyle that he has always led. For
that reason, the character who speaks to us at the end of
the denouement is no different than he was when he first
appeared. Unlike his Classical counterpart, since he lives
according to his own personal ethic, no one can pre—
determine the life of the Baroque hero. Not even social
sanctions restrict him completely. He is as spontaneous in
his actions as the movements of natural objects that create
accidental Chiaroscuro. Just as the configuration of those
clouds is never fixed, his personality is never complete.
The role that he initially portrays in the drama of his
personal life will have changed an indefinite number of
times before the curtain falls at the end of its final act.
Astr6e and C6ladon are Baroque protagonists. When,
after Semire's false witness, Astr66 banishes C6ladon from
her sight, no requirement demands that this situation re—
main the status quo. Their relationship changes several
times before the novel ends, because both hope to transcend
their continued suffering. In order to do so, they must
recapture the ideal state represented by their lost recip-
rocal love. According to Eugenio d'Ors, this effort to re-

acquire an ideal renders them even more Baroque: ”le

72
baroque est secrétement anim6 par la nostalgie du Paradis

15

Perdu.” As they seek to re-enter Paradise, before they
succeed in bettering their lot, the lovers weather difficult
situations which worsen it. When Bruce Morrissette presents
the elements of Baroque literature, he emphasizes the ambi-
guity of personal emotions.16 Morrissette states that,
unless a person analyzes his sentiments lucidly, emotional
confusion prevails. Sometimes, however, either remaining
unaware of their feelings or simply not communicating them,
lovers dissimulate their emotions. Sometimes the inter-
vention of secondary characters further confuses the affec-
tive situation. Whatever the reason, confusion dominates
the emotional realm. A rivalry between darkness and light
in the environment may reinforce their confusion. Before
love and light prevail, at least one partner undergoes emo-
tional uncertainty, conceals his feelings, and thus spends
considerable time in an emotional situation which is re-
flected in the darkness or Chiaroscuro of his physical sur-
roundings. C6ladon, in particular, suffers because of
Astr6e's harshness:

La renaissance de C6ladon ne se fera donc qu' au prix

de contraintes successives, d'an6antissements et

de d6passements spirituels ui transforment pro-

gressivement sa personnalite, allant presque jusqu'a

etrulre sa pulssance de v1e.

The negative connotation of the vocabulary associated with
C6ladon's existence after his banishment indicates the

degree of his suffering. Although all of us can identify

with and accept certain constraints in our lives, we may be

73

wary of surpassing ourselves spiritually ("d6passements
spirituels") or undergoing progressive character transforma-
tions ("transformer progressivement sa personnalit6”).
C6ladon survives all of these situations before his final
rebirth and accession to Paradise Regained. Before his fall
from grace, secure in their mutual love, he and Astr66 enjoy
a life of bliss in a brightly illuminated environment. When
the shepherd suffers almost total self-annihilation, he does
so in virtual darkness. When character transformation
occurs, it does so in an environment dominated by the Ba-
roque Chiaroscuro described by Roger de Piles. Only after
he finally approaches Paradise and regains Astr66's love
does the six-element structural core achieve a definitive
resolution, Chiaroscuro end, and pure light begin to illumi-

nate earth.

Light as a Reflection of Astr66's
and Celadon‘s Happiness

When Astr66 and C6ladon first fall in love, Honor6.
d‘Urf6 has presented only the first two elements of the
basic structural core of their story, the lovely young woman
and the handsome young man.18 Attracted to each other im-
mediately, they act as Love requires by not hesitating to
avow their mutual affection. Since the sentiments of Astr66

./
and Celadon are clear, the opposition later to dominate the

narrative is initially absent. Neither one considers

 

7h
retreating into the dark forest as a means of avoiding each
other. On the contrary, they comprise a central part of
the Forez society and seldom leave its other inhabitants.
Light prevails in the environment.

Any pain and inconvenience which Astr66 and C6ladon
experience do not emanate from their emotions. They are
occasioned by other citizens of Forez. Despite their pri-
vate expression of mutual love, since their families are
separated by a feud of several generations, Astr66 and C61a-
don must conceal their love from the Foreziens. In order to
divert attention from themselves, Astr66 requires that C6la-
don feign interest in Aminthe. As he discloses to his
brother Lycidas:

je continue tousjours en ma peine ordinaire.

Aimer et ne l'oser faire paroistre, n'aimer

point at jurer 1e contraire: cher frere,

c'est tout 1'exercice, ou plustost 1e supplice

oe ton Celadon (I, 1, 2O 2 )
If C61adon feels anguish and pain, Astr66 eXperiences the
intense constraint of silence. Although she easily avows
her love to C61adon in the shelter of their secret meeting
place, as far as others are concerned: "1a souveraine pru-
dence en amour est de tenir mon affection cach66, ou pour
le moins de n'en faire jamais rien paroistre inutilement"
(I, 1, 21). Although she does not conceal her feelings from
C61adon, when addressing others, Astr66 uses a vocabulary of
secrecy. Her prudence and concern never allow anything to

appear to others. The use of the double negative jamais and

rien emphasizes the priority that the couple accords to

75

concealment. Only because of the curious eyes of others
must they resort to meetings in a concealed location and
notes deposited in a hollow tree. If their families ap-
proved, perhaps Astr66 and C61adon would not preoccupy them-
selves with such considerations. Since these two signifi—
cant social units do not sanction their union, society in
general must never learn of it.

The reader soon apprehends that the concern for
secrecy has been justified. By chance, Semire, a rival for
Astr66's favors, finds some of the couple’s correspondence.
Motivated by his love for Astr66, this representative of
society requires only a few sentences to undo all that she
and C6ladon have built during the preceding months. When he
falsely informs her that C6ladon's attraction to Aminthe is
no longer feigned, jealousy overcomes Astr66: "elle ne
tournoit pas seulement les yeux vers le lieu 6E ... [Cela-
don] estoit, et s'alla asseoir loing de 1; sur 1e bord de la
riviere” (I, 1, 11). Now emotionally distant from the shep-
herd, Astr66 refuses to place herself close to him physi-
cally and seats herself at the edge of the Lignon. Although
previOusly she desired only C61adon and helped contrive
elaborate plans for their clandestine trysts, now she does
not deign to acknowledge his presence with a glance. She
has allowed a member of the society that she considered un-
trustworthy to deceive her and totally blind her to the
truth of her affective situation. Astr66's blindness spawns

jealousy which damages the relationship that these two

76
individuals strived so diligently to build. As a result,
the light that has prevailed in their environment until

this moment disappears.
/'
Celadon‘s Successful Effort at Self-Annihilation

With Semire's disclosure of false evidence and

2’ . . a’ 1’.
Astree's excess1ve reaction, Honore d'Urfe 1ntroduces the
third element in the six-part structural core common to all

1’
the narratives of LfAstree, an obstacle to reciprocal love.
C61adon reacts to her emotional blindness with despair
rather than with jealousy and anger. Folding his arms and
leaping into the Lignon, he makes no effort to save himself
from the powerful current of its spring waters.
In Baroque literature, water is associated with
metamorphoses:
;\ . . z’.a'

L‘eau est une matlere pr1v1leg1ee; elle est

mobile et plastique, propre aux metamorphoses

... mouvement double et contradictoire de la

poursuite et de la fuite en un’6ti8 qui ne se

meut qu' en diff6rent de lui-meme.
Water possesses two attributes which exclude any possibility
of fixity. Because of its plastic nature, it changes form
easily; since it moves, it changes form constantly. It
abandons one configuration as it leaves a particular loca-
tion and then adOpts another. Like the river, C6ladon is
subject to change. It is appropriate that he choose to

escape Astr66's blindness in the Lignon. He will not emerge

from its depths with the same personality. Because of the

77

self-annihilation inspired by his emotional distress, he
will begin a new life.

With this new life, the fourth structural element,
apparent prolonged suffering, begins. As indicated by his
attempted suicide, cgladon suffers, because Astr66's command
has signaled the transformation of her love to jealousy and
disgust. The heroine suffers, first because of the knowl—
edge that C6ladon divided his attention between two shep—
herdesses, but then, more important, because she has
prompted his suicidal drowning. As her strong feelings for
him overcome her wounded pride, she mourns Cgladon and re-
grets her harsh language:

je luy parlay avec tant de mespris, que desesper6,

11 se precipita dans ce goulphe ou ... il noya

d'un coup tous mes contentemens. A ce mot elle

devint pasle comme la mort, et ... elle estoit en

danger d‘esvanouyr (I, H, 132).
Because of her quick initial reaction, she has permanently
lost the individual who afforded her any happiness which she
enjoyed. With the realization of her emotional deprivation,
she first loses color and then almost loses consciousness.
Her forfeiture far outweighs the fleeting pleasure of re—
venge that she hOped to gain by castigating cgladon for his
supposed unfaithfulness. Although friends and relatives
attempt to comfort her and divert her attention from c513-
don's drowning, Astr66 cannot overcome her emotional suffer-
ing. On the contrary, it increases when she learns that

Semire lied about the shepherd's involvement with Aminthe

/
and her "murder” of Celadon acquires even more heinous

78
overtones. Since she should never have doubted that he
loved her, Astr6e should never have reprimanded him. Now
fully aware that C6ladon always loved her, the burden of
guilt for terminating their relationship will constantly
gnaw at her memory and her sensibilities.

After Astr66's discovery of C61adon's constancy, the
shepherd is the only one who believes himself unloved. He
agonizes solely because she has made obvious to him this
change of sentiment. C6ladon suffers both emotionally and
physically. AS Joachim Merlant has so aptly stated, of the
two, "[C6ladon] connait mieux l'art de se faire souffrir."2O
The shepherd's physical affliction commences with his leap
into the Lignon. Since d‘Urf6 refers to the Lignon as a
small river (”rivi6re") rather than as a large one
("fleuve"), the reader immediately imagines a rather narrow,
shallow, slowly flowing stream. However, when Astr66 ban-
ishes C6ladon from her sight, spring has just arrived.21
Given its position as a stream flowing through a plain sur-
rounded by mountains, in the spring the Lignon is swollen
and its current accelerated by whatever moisture descends
from the encompassing heights. When C61adon dives in, its
waters buffet him about as if he were a cork. Arms crossed
at his chest, the shepherd does not attempt to fight the
turbulent waters or protect himself from the rocky bottom.
Finally, "[Celadon va] donner sur le sec, ... mais avec fort

peu signe de vie” (I, 1, 1%). By chance, the river casts

him ashore.

0 (I'll .I. ‘

79
/’

Saved from the furious river by fate, Celadon lies

on its banks for a short time before anyone discovers him.
/

Then, when the nymph Galath66 and her attendant Leonide
have him transported to a place which contrasts markedly
with the primitive bank on which he lay, the new life sym-
bolized by his dive into its waters begins. As long as he
is subject to the elegant life of the palace, the servants
necessary to maintain it will never allow him total privacy.
Assisted by an understanding L6bnide, he adopts the iden-
tity of a nymph, flees his physically confining environment,
and attires himself in his own clothes only when he has
reached the anonymity of the next physical environment that
he will inhabit.

/’

Once in the forest, Celadon is satisfied with his
surroundings. If rustic when compared to Forez and Isoure,
it is not a violent enemy like the Lignon. Remote, it will
afford him the privacy that the nymphs would neither have
understood nor permitted. However, in the very milieu that
meets his need for solitude, the physical transformation

,1 .
that began with the obstacle of Astree's blind jealousy
continues:
Ainsi alloit trainant sa vie ce triste berger qu' en
peu de temps se rendit si pasle et si deffait, qu' a
peine 1‘eust— —on peu recognoistre. Et luy mesme quel-
quefois allant boire a la proche fontaine, s‘ eston-
noit quand il voyoit sa figure dans l'eau, comme es-
tant reduit en tel estat i1 pouvoit vivre. La barbe
ne 1e rendoit point affreux, car 11 n'en avoit point
encores, mais 1es cheveux qui luy estoie t fort
crus, la maigreur qui luy avoient change le tour du

visage, et allongy 1e nez, ... l'avoient fait devenir
tout autre qu' il ne souloit estre (I, 12, H86- 87).

80
Since C6ladon is but a youth, despite several weeks in the
forest, he has no beard. This absence of facial hair is
perhaps the only aspect of his physical appearance that his
new life has not altered. His complexion is pale. When
waters mirror him, it is impossible for CEIadon to ignore
his thin face and nose or his long, disheveled hair. The
fact that the shepherd's own appearance astonishes him
forcefully portrays the physical transformation engendered
by his exile. The despondency that led him to this environ-
ment renders him so listless, that he has no desire to pro-
vide himself with food and clothing. As long as Astree does
not love him, unable to think of banalities because his mind
is otherwise occupied, his body will suffer. Although his
own image surprises him, since he can conceive of no reason
for altering his lifestyle, the degeneration is an apparent-
ly inescapable situation.

The only outlet that Celadon can discover to allevi-
ate his tension is the consecration of all of his activity
to the decoration of a temple dedicated to the loved one who
precipitated that tension. Concomitant with his dedication
to the temple, he dedicates himself to the shepherdess, for
he cannot separate her from his creation:

Voicy le bois ou chasque jour,
Un coeur qui ne vit flue d'amour,
Adore la deesse Astree.
(II, 5, 176)
As a temple of stone provides an appropriate site for divine

worship, the entrance to this bucolic one testifies that

81

Celadon's heart worships its personally proclaimed goddess.
The artwork in the outer chapel so illustrates. In a paint-
ing of two lovers, the configuration of the pair's stance
initially leads the observer to conclude that they are in-
volved in a battle of sorts. However, when the viewer moves
from a consideration of one section of the subjects' bodies
to another, his initial impression changes. In their soft,
smiling eyes and mouths, the couple attest to their mutual
love. This composition constitutes more than a mere illus-
tration of the poem at the entrance. In effect, it depicts
the exact situation that Celadon desires. Although their
physical separation does not bespeak reciprocal love, he
hOpes that, like his, Astree‘s sentiments have not actually
altered. His artistic representation of his own thoughts
effects an ephemeral sublimation of the personal agony that
he endures because Astree apparently no longer reciprocates
his love.

The relief is only temporary. Explicit in Ugladon's
thoughts there remains the constant dichotomy of his own
affective situation. Frequently, he considers the future:

\ A
Commengons desormais a b1en esperer, 0 mon

coeur, ... nous devons croire que notre,mal-

heur finira ayant desormais consume peu a peu

tous les biens et contentemens qui nous

restoient (II, 7, 280-81).
Just as he painted in the lovers' eyes an expression which

/’

implies reciprocal love, when Celadon considers his own
situation, he prefers to imagine that whatever lies ahead

will be favorable ("bien esperer”). A few words later, the

82
reader learns that the object of his wishes is the termina-
tion of a specific type of unhappiness——that which involves
the heart. Although Celadon posits its end, he does so with
the conviction that it will already have exhausted any joy
which filled his heart. By his choice of the word ”con-
sumed,” d'Urfe specifies the totality of the destruction
that unhappiness can effect. Throughout his stay in the
forest, the shepherd vacillates from the hope that results
from the love that he once shared to the despair that he
feels due to his present anxiety. This vacillation in-
creases the tension already dominant in his life and renders
his emotional existence dark. Exceeding by far any periods
of momentary calm are those when he submits to thoughts_
which are as dark as the environment in which he nurtures

them.

Darkness as an Initial Reflection of the
Fourth Structural Element

Using Velasquez (1559-1660) as an example, Ortega
y Gasset affirms that, especially during the first half of
the seventeenth century, certain painters achieved a general
contrast of light and shadowy elements by grace of which
individual parts of their work lose their identity. Rather
than provide interest in and of themselves, objects serve
simply as a pretext for something else.22 This is true of

z’
the physical environment in L‘Astree. Objects are

83
relatively unimportant. By reinforcing the advent of con-
tinual suffering, the interplay of surrounding light and
darkness acquires thematic importance.

As a result of Astree's dismissal of Caladon, the
shepherd initially moves into geographic areas of pro-
gressively greater darkness. In reaction to Astree's harsh
words, he dives into the Lignon and changes environments
for the first time. When the river finally surrenders him
to the shore: ”Celadon ... donna de l'autre coste entre
quelques arbres, ou difficilement pouvoit—i1 estre veu”

(I, l, 15). When he lands on the Opposite bank of the
river, although still visible to human eyes, the shepherd
can be perceived only with the greatest difficulty. He lies
hidden by the effects of the accidental Chiaroscuro created
when trees block sunlight. His move into total darkness has
begun.

When Galathee and her nymphs discover Celadon, they
transport him from this site to another whose lighting ren—
ders objects even more indistinguishable. In the Palace of
Isoure:

il s'esveilla en sursau ; et parce que le soleil
par les vitres donnait a plein sur son l1ct, a
l'ouverture de ses yeux, il demeura tellement
esblouy, que confus en une clarte si grande, ...
se voyant maintenant dans cette confuse lumiere,
il ne sgavoit que juger ... (I, 2, H1).
Paradoxically, the dazzling light that shines fully on his

,,
bed does not make the room appear bright to Celadon. On

the contrary, to him, the light is dim ("confuse”). Or is

8%

the situation paradoxical? Woelfflin has acknowledged that
light as bright as that which shines on Celadon may create
Chiaroscuro.23 According to Rousset, the effect of such
bright morning rays exceeds mere Chiaroscuro: "Ce silence
devant l'indicible, un indicible qui est en meme temps eonS

21+

de lumiere, d‘autres l'appellent nuit." For him, since
extremely bright light renders objects indistinguishable,

it creates the same effect as night. Concomitantly, accord—
ing to Jacques Ehrmann, anyone who experiences the presence
of bright light as total darkness has been stricken by

25

love. If this be the case, Celadon‘s confusion results
uniquely from his love for Astree. Specifically, his devo-
tion to a thankless Astree blinds him to his surroundings
and darkens his environment.

From this obscurity, Ogladon proceeds to an area of
even greater darkness. At first, having no idea of his own
whereabouts, he walks aimlessly away from the palace, rather
than flee to a particular destination. As he approaches the
center of the forest and observes the ever-deepening dark-
ness, he no longer wanders without a destination. Ogladon
realizes that, if he stays in its depths, he will never
again be required to spend much time subject to others'
scrutiny:

Il jetta l'oeil sur une caverne ... a‘gemy couverte
d‘arbres et de buissons, qui par leur epaisseur en
ostoient la veue a ceux qui passoient le long du
chem n. Et luy mesme n' y eust pris garde, n' eust
este qu' estant contraint de passer le’long de la

rive, il se trouva tout contre l‘ent ee, ou ...
luy semblant qu' il seroit bien cache jusques a la

85

nuit ... il resolut d'y passer 1e reste de ses

jours ..., faisant dessein de ne point sortir de

tout le jour du fond de ceste grotte (I, 12, #83).
Not a hut, but more suitably a grotto or cavern is Ogladon's
next domicile. Moreover, this is a distinct type of cavern,
for the denseness of surrounding vegetation renders it
visible only to those who, like Celadon, happen to approach
it from a certain angle. Once inside, he dwells at the back
of the cave. As a final measure to assure that no one see
him, initially, during the daylight hours, Celadon does not
venture from his new abode. When he later begins to leave
the grotto, the recluse does so only during the first hours
after dawn. Even then, exercising the utmost caution, he
leaves only if he sees no one nearby. Sitting near a foun-
tain in order to profit from the concealment provided by
the surrounding trees as he enjoys its fresh waters, he
guards against discovery. As soon as the bright rays of the
sun begin to penetrate this natural camouflage, he again
passes into a more densely covered area where light cannot
reach the forest floor. By night, if the moon is full, he
seeks the same natural camouflage that protects him at the
fountain. Seemingly paranoid, Caladon emphasizes that, for
him to retire, it must be utterly dark (”bien nuict,” I,
I2, 487). Entertaining his sad thoughts under a tree, the
exhausted shepherd sometimes falls asleep there, to awaken
only with the first rays of dawn. More frequently, he
spends the night in his cave. The reader has the impression

of a man ensconced in a cave, peering through the darkness

86
toward its entrance, until he can distinguish not a single
form outside. If he can distinguish no exterior forms, then
he feels certain that no one can discover the entrance to
his cave and thus stumble upon him. The gnawing concern
within him dies and, for the first time during this day, he
believes that the blackness is great enough for him to risk
sleep. In his life in the forest, Celadon trusts only dark—
ness.

The blackness of his new abode rewards his trust by
preventing others from learning of his existence. In es—
sence, environmental darkness renders the Foreziens cogni-
tively unaware. Walking in Ogladon's forest, Silvandre
overhears a conversation between two other men. Listening
attentively and studying all of their movements closely:

[il] ne peut toutesfois les recognoistre, empesche

de l'obscurite du lieu, qui encores qu esclaire

de quelques rayons de la lune, demeuroit fort

sombre pour l'espaisseur des arbres de la fon-

taine (I, 2, 80).
Celadon's insistence upon venturing only into the most hid-
den regions of the forest proves fruitful. Although the
sun shines through tree leaves to a certain extent (only
some rays penetrate), the natural density of the vegetation
near Celadon's favorite fountain prevents Phoebus from
brightening the area with even a minimum of Chiaroscuro.
D'Urfels description emphasizes sparseness of the sun's
rays, thickness of trees, obscurity, and gloominess. The

sum of all of these contributing factors is Silvandre‘s

inability to recognize either speaker. Only the reader is

87
aware that the shepherd has inadvertently discovered Adamas
and Celadon. Like Silvandre, as a result of the exile's
disguise, the remainder of the Forez community and that at
Isoure are duped. As the nymph who helped him escape from
the palace states, in order to realize his desire not to be
seen, ”il s‘est ... cache a.tous ceux de sa connoissance"
(II, 8, 310). By leaving society and remaining out of its
sight, Celadon renders himself nonexistent. In the eyes of
those in Forez and Isoure, he is dead. In fact, when Sil-
vandre discovers a letter in Celadon's handwriting, his
shepherd friends are convinced that it is the exile's un—
happy soul that still roams the countryside. To render it
happy, they propose burying it and depart to locate it.
Like Celadon's search for a home and Silvandre's

overheard conversation, the shepherds' quest for Celadon's
soul leads them to the edge of the most desolate area of the
woodlands. The fading light of nightfall increases the
tenebrosity resulting from the vegetation: ”il est si tard
que le soleil est desja couche; de sorte que nous n'aurions
pas beaucoup de loisir de ... visiter le bois” (I, 5, 20%).
Given the section of the woods in which they now stand and
the fact that the sun has already sunk beneath the horizon,
the shepherds must function in relative darkness. The group
presses onward:

ils entrerent dans le bois, et ne se donnerent

garde que,la nuict peu a peu leur osta de sorte

la clarte qu: ils ne se voyoient plus et ne se

suivoient qu' a la parolle. Et lors s 'enfon ngant
davantage dans le bois, il perdit tellement toute

88

cognoissance du chemin, qu'il fut contraint d‘avouer
qu‘il ne sacavoit ou il estoit (I, 5, 201+).

The sunset that falls upon them as they prepare to penetrate
the forest gradually becomes night as they actually enter.
Rather than a passive night, d'Urfe’describes a very

active one. It literally snatches away the remaining day-
light and prevents mutual recognition of the search party.
Diminishing rays of the sun finally produce utter blackness.
As the party penetrates further into the woodlands, profound
darkness no longer obscures mere human beings; now it ren-
ders recognition of natural surroundings uncertain. So un-
certain, in fact, that no one knows his whereabouts. The
shepherds feel confined, because they cannot distinguish a
path which might lead them to the edge of the woods. They
begin to consider the night an enemy, because it seems to
expressly forbid their leaving the woods (I, 5, 20%).

Though not personified, night possesses the capacity to
consciously will that someone fail and, moreover, to work

to effect that failure. D’Urfe leaves the reader with the
impression of a person entering a closed tunnel. As one
nears the center, scant sunlight enters. Then, as both ends
are sealed off, total night descends and one is imprisoned
in it. Only an external force can open the tunnel, allow
light to enter, and afford escape. To combat the enemy,

the shepherds hope first that daylight will soon appear.
Then, realizing that much time remains between the present

hour and dawn, they wish for the only light that is possible

89
after the sun has set. They must wait until the moon has
risen high enough to somewhat brighten the forest floor with
its beams.
Ironically, as they lie sleeping, the citizens of

Forez receive a visit from the very party whom they seek.
Under the partial concealment of predawn greyness, this
seeker of darkness unwittingly encounters the seekers of
light. As the greyness begins to disappear with the ad-
vent of the sun, seeing Astree, for the first time, Ogladon
neglects to return to the depths of his grotto. As if
attracted by a powerful magnetic force, the exile approaches
to contemplate her as she sleeps. Oblivious of everything
except Astree, he does not notice that a dappled wash of
light now passes through the tree branches to slightly
brighten the otherwise dark environment with Chiaroscuro.
When he kneels to kiss her in an effort to release the
emotional tension that he again feels upon seeing Astree,
he unleashes a battle between darkness and light:

Et n' eust este que de fortune les rayons du

soleil qui luy donnoient sur le visage .2;

esblouyrent Astree de leur prompte clairte,

il n' y a point de doute qu' elle l'eust

recognu; mais cela fut cause qu'elle ne peut

que l‘entrevoir comme une ombre ...

(II, 8, 332-33)

Celadon himself once fell victim to this struggle in the
Palace of Isoure.26 In his case, the result was temporary
blindness and a sense of total darkness—-two effects which

reinforce his characterization as a seeker of total ob-

./
scurity. Astree does not crave darkness, and, when light

9O

paradoxically blinds her, she struggles to see. Although
she fails in her effort to overpower the rays and can gaze
at nothing long enough to identify it, she does succeed in
distinguishing shapes. Like the viewer of a painting in
which a similar lighting technique has been used, unable to
gaze at anything long enough to identify it, she manages
only to glimpse a shadow ("une ombre"). Rather than leave
an impression of night, in Astree's case, extremely bright
light creates an effect of Chiaroscuro which prepares the
reader for the imminent change in environment that Adamas

/
influences Celadon to undertake.

./
A Compromise: Celadon's Abandonment
of Darkness for Chiaroscuro

Only one opponent of darkness bears the distinction
of being able to talk to Caladon during the latter's forest
sojourn. Upon more than one occasion, Adamas struggles to
convince Celadon to abandon the savage forest and return to
daylight in an attempt to regain Astree. He cautions the
shepherd: "vous vivez comme un ours sauvage dans les antres
escartez, esloigne de la veue de chacun, et sans vous pre-
valoir en ceste occasion des remedes que ce grand Dieu a
remis entre vos mains” (II, 8, 316). If Celadon would re-
cover her, he must do as the Grand Druid bids. Living in
an isolated den will never bring him into close proximity to

his loved one. In fact, it will never bring him into

91
. , /
anyone's Sight. As an alternative to Celadon's insistence
that he remain ”en lieu obscur," Adamas prOposes a life ”en
/'
plein jour" (II, 10, 397). D'Urfe reinforces the difference
between the two life styles with his use of the modifiers
/

"bien” and "plein.” Not only is the locale in which Cela-
don's private life unfolds obscure, it is very obscure. If
he follows Adamas' advice, not only will his new life un—
fold in daylight, it will unfold in broad daylight.
Although the exchange between Adamas and Caladon is not in
verse, by choosing to have the modifiers rhyme and the sub-
stantives almost rhyme, d'Urfe renders the juxtaposition of
these two lifestyles even more ironic and their contradic—
tory natures even more complete. Jacques Ehrmann reiterates
Adamas' judgment:

5 son point 1e lus aigu, l'alienation est ...

double (de soi a soi et de soi aux autres).

C'est dans ce cas ... que l'on peut parler

avec precision de folie. La folie est ... une

anomalie de la vie amoureuse, al rs que l‘aliena—

tion simple/(de soi a soi) represente au contraire

une etape necessaire de l'amour.2
During his existence in the forest, CEIadon experiences the
most piercing alienation. First, he physically alienates
himself from the Forez society. Then, as a result of the
solitude emanating from this physical alienation and the
emotional trauma that engendered it, the shepherd begins
to suffer mentally. Were he not alone, his ability to con-
verse with others might preclude his concentration upon his

./
own emotional separation from Astree and thus somewhat

/
alleviate his mental anguish. In short, as long as Celadon

92
separates himself from society, he will remain uncivilized
and crazed: he will not be able to experience love. On
the contrary, if he returns to society, he will not risk
lapsing into total dementia, and love will loom as a possi-
bility in his life.

In the building and decorating of the forest shrine
to the goddess Astree, Caladon has already intimated that
he does not cherish as his unique goal either the suffering
that he currently endures or the dementia that threatens his
disintegration. A description of the painting at the altar
of its outer chapel so indicates:

Leurs flambeaux ceux du couple representEU estoient
\ /

un peu a coste ou i1 les avoient laisse choir; et

de fortune estant tumbez l’un pres de l'autre, les

endroits qui estoient allumez s' estoyent rencontrez

ensemble, de sorte qu'encores que le reste des

flambeaux fust separe, les flammes toutesfois des

deux s ‘unissant ensemble n' en faisoient qu' une et

par ce moyen, ils esclairoient ensemble et avec

autant plus d‘ardeur et de clarte que l'une

adjoustoit a'l‘autre tout ce qu' elle avoit, avec ce
mot NOS VOLONTEZ DE MESME NE SONT QU'UNE (II, 5,

1793.
The opening description is, in fact, an allegory of the love
of Astree and Celadon. As the torches happened to fall near
each other, so Astree and Caladon merely happened to meet
at a ball. After this initial similarity, Celadon's paint-
ing and his love for Astree cease to resemble each other.
Since Caladon's love currently renders him unhappy, his
painting does not duplicate it. In his work, he represents
what he would like to see happen in his life. Like the

/’ ,/
flames of the torches, Astree and Celadon should become one.

93

With their union, their love, will, and desire would be
fused to a single force. The capitalization of the final
clause indicates Celadon's preoccupation with this recip-
rocal love.

Despite Adamas' urging and his own desire, Caladon
cannot abruptly abandon his life of darkness. In all like—
lihood, such a rapid change from obscurity to complete
light would constitute too great a shock. The shepherd
realizes that such a move would prove self-destructive,
simply because he is not yet mentally prepared to return to
his former world. Although Ehrmann would have us believe
that total insanity will result from his current life as a
recluse, Caladon's life in the forest succeeds in convincing
us that mental derangement would result from a premature
return to society. Due to the dichotomy of the situation,
Celadon's life has reached its tensest moment to date. He
will be able to release this tension only with a compromise.
Although he cannot abandon his life in darkness for one in
sunlight, perhaps he could do so for one in shadow. So sug-
gests Adamas. As we shall see below, with his acceptance
of Adamas' prOposal, Caladon abandons the tension caused by
his isolation for that caused by his physical proximity to
Astree. He begins his move into a realm dominated by

Baroque Chiaroscuro.

9%

Notes

lAndre’Felibien,.L'IdeeIQE peintre parfait: pour
servir de regle aux iugements que l}gn doit porter sur les
ouvrages des peintres (1708; rpt. Geneva: Slatkine Re-

prints, 1970), pp. 7-8.
2Ibid., pp. 29-30.

3Lionello Ventur', L§_Seizieme siecle: .de Leonardo
.au Greco: Les Grands siecles de 13 peinture (Geneva: Edi—
tionsudlArt d'Albert Skira, 1935), p. 76.

Roger de Piles, Cours de peinture par principes
avec une balance des peintres (16;_3 rpt. Geneva: Slatkine
Reprints, 1969), p. 366.

5Ibid., pp. 362-63.
6Ibid., p. 208.

\ 7Albert Skira, Le Dix-septieme siecle: Les Grands
siecles d3 la peinture (Geneva: Editions d'Art d'Albert
Skira, 195177'p. 23.

Jean/Rousset, ;3_Litterature g§_lf3ge baroque en
France: Circe gt,l§,paon (Paris: Jose Corti, 1953),

p. 2:6.

9Friedrich Schuerr, Barock, Klassizismus, und Roko-
..2.l£ der franzoesischen Literatur (Leipzig: Verlag von
. . Trubner, 1928), p. 36.

10Jean Rousset, Anthologie d9 lg pogsie baroque
frangaise, Tome I (Paris: Armand Colin, 1968), p. 20.

11The importance of Chiaroscuro in these paintings
is explained in the second chapter.

12Walther Paul Fischer, gThe Literary Relations
between La Fontaine and the Astree of Honore d'Urfé“ (un-
published Ph. D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania,
1912), p. 81.

W

13According to Anthony Blunt's appraisal in.Art_and
Architecture in France, 1500 to l 00 (Baltimore: Penguin
Books, 195%), ”The scenes which he Lorrain] chooses are
given significance and partial quality by his understanding
of the light which bathes them” (p. 173). Given the fact
that, as in Baroque painting and literature, ”Nothing in

95

Claude is fixed; everything is about to change” (p. 175),
Lorrain‘s techniques must be considered Baroque.

14
Jean-Fran ngoisO Maillard Essai sur l'es rit du
A %—

 

eros baroque (l580 -l6k0 ): .Le meme §£.l'BUt£2. Paris:
Nizet, 1973), p. 172.

15Eu enio d'Ors, Lu Baroque, trans. by Agathe
Rouardt—Valery (6th ed.; Paris: Gallimard, 1935), p. 37.

16Morrissette,_p. Lit., p. 97.

,. l7Paule Koch, "L'Ascese du repos ou l'intention
ideologique de L' Astree," Revue d'Histoire Litteraire de

la France, 77 (mai- aofit, 1977), p 399
18

chapter.

19Rousset, Anthologie d§_lapoesie baroque fran-

gaise, Tome I, p. 11. -—_

OJoachim Merlant, ”L' Ame dans L' Astree, " Revue des
CLurs et Conferences, 21 (1913), p. 9.

For the remaining elements, refer to the second

21Readers and critics have generally agreed that the
story of Astree and Celadon begins in late March or early
April and continues until late summer.

22Edouardo Ortega y Gasset, "On Point of View in
Human Art, ” trans. by Paul Snodgress and Joseph Frank, in
The Dehumanization of Art, and Other Writings on Art and
Literature (Garden City, New Jersey: Doubleday Anchor,
1956), p. 120.

23Woelfflin, Fundamental Principles of Art History,
p. 202:

”the form—annihilating effects of a very strong light
and the form-dissolving effects of a very weak light
are both problems which, for the [Renaissance/Classi-
cal] period, lay outside of art. Even the Renaissance
depicted night. The figures are then kept dark, but
retain their distinctness of form. Now, on the other
hand, the figures coalesce with the general darkness
and only an approximation remains. Taste had de-
veloped to the point of finding even this relative
clearness beautiful."

21+Jean Rousset, L‘Interieur _§IL'exterieur (Paris:
Jose Corti, 1968), p. 48.

96

25.
Ehrmann, op. cit., p. 37.

26
Refer to page 83.

27
Ehrmann, op. cit., p. 100.

CHAPTER IV
CHIAROSCURO: EMOTIONAL TENSION AND SETTING

In Baroque literature as in art, Chiaroscuro is a
reflection of emotional tension and obscurity. The pro-
tagonists in.LfAstree live in a natural environment of
Chiaroscuro which serves as a stylistic manifestation of
the dichotomy between appearance and reality in their lives.
When Celadon's relationship with Astree is unfulfilled, he
alters his appearance to obtain his desires. The constant
possibility of discovery engenders tension and is reflected
in the environmental setting. He selects almost constant
shadow as his domain for two reasons: shadow conceals
Celadon's male attributes; by barely passing over his form
instead of illuminating it brightly, this light may render
his very presence inconspicuous and, thus, turn eyes away
from him. If he is indeed to frequent the Foreziens' com-
pany, he may not relegate himself to absolute darkness; in
order to guarantee that he deceive the shepherds, he must
not appear in pure light. Pure light will conquer ghigr-
oscuro only when the duel between appearance and reality
ends, truth is recognized, and Astree and CEladon find ful-

fillment. Until that time, Caladon‘s masquerade will

97

98
endure and constantly generate a dichotomy between appear-

ance and reality and the need for Chiaroscuro.
Disguise and Role Exchange

./
Numerous protagonists in various stories in LfAstree
conceal their identities. According to Jean Rousset, in a
disguise: "Il faut ... deux etres, jumeaux ou non, semblab-
./
les a s‘y meprendre et ne se connaissant pas; des sosies
. l .
sans le saVOlr.” The most important and most frequently
discussed disguise is Celadon‘s. The reader will recall
that, early in the woodland stay, d'Urfe prepares him for
the persona that the protagonist will adopt:
il faut que je confesse que mon amitie s'augmente
beaucoup par la veue que j‘eus de vostre visage, car
d'abord il me sembla de voir ma chere fille, tant
vous avez l'air l'un de l‘autre. Cgla est cause
que je vous conjure ... d'avoir agreable que je
vienne quelquefois interrompre vostre solitude,
pour me donner cette satisfaction de voir en vostre
visage un portrait vivant de ce que j‘ayme le plus
au monde (II, 8, 319).
A visually oriented vocabulary recurs throughout Adamas'
statement. The verb ”voir" itself or its substantive form
occurs three times. Stating that someone looks like
(”avoir l'air de") someone else requires a judgment based
./
upon visual perception. D'Urfe twice mentions the face---
the part of the human body that is the most visible. The
result of all of Adamas' visual perceptions is his judgment

/’
that Celadon resembles his own daughter, Alexis. Once

/
Adamas convinces Celadon to participate in a masquerade,

99
there is no doubt as to what mask he will wear. To ensure
a successful disguise, he will adopt the identity of his
double. Its success is indicated by the fact that, several
days after Alexis'2 arrival, during a visit to the shep-
herdess' home, she shares sleeping quarters with Astree,
who, more than anyone else, should readily recognize the
druidess' actual identity.

During this extended stay at Astree's home, Alexis
and the shepherdess become so fond of each other, that they
exchange clothes. With this, Celadon's initial disguise
yields to yet another, and, in the Baroque fashion of dual-
ism, d'Urfg presents a play within a play to remove his
characters and the reader one step further from reality.3
Now there are three levels of existence: the innermost
level, where Cgladon disguised as Alexis disguises himself
as Astr6e; the intermediate level, where CEIadon disguises
himself as Alexis; the outermost level, where Ogladon ac-
cepts his identity. When Alexis dons Astree's clothes,
Caladon enjoys the experience, since he knows by whom they
have been worn. Although witnesses are cognizant of the
fact that the innermost level of existence is a playful dis-
guise, they do not realize that it also serves the purpose
of creating a physical link between Celadon and Astree. The
Foreziens will recognize this fact only when they penetrate
the intermediate level of existence to arrive at the outer
level of the reality of Cgladon. Until they do, Caledon

himself may be affected by the ambiguity of appearance and

lOO
reality in his life: "Le heros baroque est comme le figu-
rant d‘une valse hesitation entre le Meme et l‘Autre, entre
sa recherche de l'identite et son sentiment de l'alterite‘Z”L+
No one penetrates Ogladon‘s disguise. Even Astree is de-
ceived. Always treated and accepted as another individual,
Caladon constantly lives on the borderline of appearance and
reality between his adopted persona and his actual identity.
By exchanging the roles that they would play if the

community realized the druidess' actual identity, Alexis and
Astree participate in a transfer which is more complicated
than the mere exchange of garments:

Je ne 5 ay, ma maistresse, quelle sera la fin de

mon ent eprise, ny a quoy le destin me reserve,

mais ce commencement m'est bien tant agreable que

mon destin n'y s auroit rien adjouster, pouvant

dire avec veri , que l'espoir ne m'en a tant ose

promettre que la courtoisie de ma maistresse m'en

a desja fait obtenir (IV, 2, 81).
Astree is not aware of this exchange. She believes that she
addresses a woman ("ma maistresse”) when she does not.
Since Alexis is actually Celadon, Astree unknowingly assigns
the role of mistress to a male. By extension, if she con—
siders Alexis her mistress, the shepherdess must be the
servant. When Alexis reinforces Astree‘s role in the rela—
tionship by calling her ”mon serviteur" (IV, 5, 269), the
shepherdess does not object, but willingly accepts a role
reserved for males. Later, by refusing the role of mistress
that Alexis offers, she contributes to the prevarication.

Her acceptance of this exchange increases CEIadon's diffi-

culty in distinguishing between appearance and reality.

101
Why does Alexis not simply reveal herself as Cela-
don? Jacques Ehrmann's statement about the necessity of
disguise may provide the answer: ”Le deguisement peut aussi

5 In

avoir, simultanement, valeur de fuite et d‘approche."
one sense, Ogladon's disguise as Alexis constitutes an es-
cape from reality, because, by playing the role of Alexis,
Celadon hides his own existence. In another, it provides a
means of approaching reality. The disguise allows him to
re-enter society and once again belong to a community and
live alongside Astree. Granted, as long as he remains
Alexis, Celadon will not enjoy a normal relationship with
the shepherdess. However, by frequently mentioning the al-
ternative, total isolation, d'Urfe repeatedly shows the
reader that Alexis must remain the shepherd's identity for

the present. Otherwise, Ogladon will lose all possibility

of approaching his lady.

Appearance and Reality as Causes
of Suffering

As Celadon's disguise creates a dichotomy between
appearance and reality, it also produces tension. One type
of tension emanates from fear: Alexis lives in constant
fear that someone will uncover her true identity and thus
terminate her life in Forez. The second type, emotional
tension, emanates from the anxiety engendered by the inher-

ent conflict between Celadon‘s passion and social propriety.

102
The opposition between what he wants to do and what he feels
that he should do results in an internal emotional struggle.

Alexis/Caladon's fear begins when she enters the
Forez society for the first time and elicits comments about
her close resemblance to Celadon. Given the fact that
neighbors already notice a likeness between the two, one in-
discretion on Celadon's part may cause them to detect the
reality of the situation. The shepherd may not permit him-
self to forget the importance of his disguise. Under the
guise of modesty, Alexis covers herself upon arising or re-
tiring. Should she delay a single moment, all would dis-
cover the reason for her feigned reserve. As stated above,
fear generated by near recognitions creates tension in both
Celadon and the reader.

Before Celadon's exile, the fine lines between guilt
and innocence and appearance and reality were a major
concern for him and Astree. Due to their parents' feud,
the couple felt compelled to use rather extraordinary meas—
ures. Were their love discovered, they would be considered
guilty of disloyalty to their families and would be forced
to part. Now, the couple's concern with concealment,
silence, guilt, and the dichotomy between appearance and
reality has a different source. No longer united against
parental animosity and the remainder of society, ironically,
Astree and Ogladon have become Opponents. During Celadon's
disguise, the battle between appearance and reality no

longer involves deluding only the public. Any delusion

103
includes the partners themselves: neither Astree nor Cala-
don is immediately capable of determining whether she loves
Alexis or consecrates herself to Celadon through someone
who resembles him so closely. The tension and suffering
created by this stress in the emotional realm are as omni-
present as those created by C5ladon's fear of discovery.
Given the certainty that Caladon still yearns for

Astree and that she still loves him, they could realize
their dreams. Astree's inability to recognize truth frus-
trates that realization. Just as her blind jealousy pre-
cipitates hers and Ogladon's isolated suffering,6 now her
inability to recognize Celadon in Alexis and accept his love
prolongs the emotional tension. D'Urfe’augments this
tension with such techniques as descriptions of the couple's
anxiety and yearning, as illustrated in this emotionally
charged apostrophe to Love:

mais quelle devint [Astree], quand elle jetta les

yeux sur [le visage d'Alexis]? E; quelle devint

Alexis, quand elle vid venir Astree vers elle

pour la baiser? Mais enfin, O'Amour, en quel

estat mis—tu toutes deux quand elles se baiserent.

La bergere devint rouge comme si elle eust eu du

feu au visage, et Alexis, transportee de contente-

ment, se mit a trembler comme si un grand accés de

fievre l‘eust saisie (III, 2, 66).
At this initial encounter, each reacts as if the situation
of which he dreams has become a reality. If she kissed

1’
Cgladon in a crowded room, Astree would be embarrassed and
,/

blush. Since Alexis resembles Celadon, such is her reaction

here. Her facial coloring reflects the fieriness of her

/ .
emotions. If Celadon were suddenly allowed to appear in

10%
society with Astree, he would tremble and be transported
with contentment. Such is the false Alexis‘ reaction here.
Physical proximity heightens the tension in which
they live:
/ , /

L‘autre [bras d'Astree] estOlt releve sur la teste

qui, a moitie/penchee le long du chevet, laissoit

a nud le coste droit de son sein, sur lequel quel-

ques rayons du soleil sembloient, comme amoureux,

se jouer en le baisant. O Amour! que tu te plais

quelquefois a'tourmenter ceux qui te suivent ...

qu'est-ce que tu ne lui fais pas souffrir,

l'esblouissant, pour ainsi dire, de trop de clarte,

et le faisant souspirer pour voir trop ce qu‘autre—

fois il regrettoit de voir trop peu? (III, 10, 550).
Upon viewing the illuminated form of AstrEE's person,
passion is aroused and subsequently frustrated in the dis-
guised shepherd. D‘Urfe'represents this reaction with
sighing, suffering, and the leitmotif of torture. Cognitive
reality may leave the false Alexis so beside herself ("hors
d'elle,” III, ll, 598), that, succumbing to desire, CEIadon
would like to end his pain: ”n'eust este'que sur le poinct
de ses plus grandes caresses, Phillis vint heurter a‘la

\

porte, je ne agay a quoy ce transport ... eust peu porter
[Celadon]" (III, 11, 599). The vastness of the pleasure
that he seeks is multiplied by the vagueness of the limits
that the narrator sets upon it, when he comments that he
does not know to what extreme ("5‘quoy") Celadon's trans-
port might lead him. At this point in the disguise, Caledon

is capable of self-control in ceasing or abstaining from

physical contact in the presence of Phillis and others.

lOS
Later, his emotional suffering surpasses the point at which
self-control is easy.

As we shall see, the constant tension that results
from fear of discovery and from the conflict between passion
and self—control constitutes an integral part of the fourth
structural element of the love story of Astree and CEIadon
-—apparent continual suffering. As long as CEIadon is
afraid to behave like a shepherd or to wear men's clothing,
he suffers unhappiness. If he cannot return to the rela-
tionship that he once enjoyed with Astree, emotionally, he
will feel incomplete. Since Astree still loves cEladon, his
physical presence in the person of Alexis will constantly

torment her.

Chiaroscuro as a Reflection of the
Fourth Structural Element

Honore'd‘Urfe sets this portion of his narrative in

a mixture of darkness and light, as a reflection of the
suffering that results from the fact that truth is neither
clearly seen nor understood, love is not fulfilled, and
emotions are mixed. CEladon moves from the depths of the
forest to Adamas' home and puts on Alexis‘ clothes under a
particular kind of light:

le temps s'ecouloit, et peu gfpeu faisoit approcher

l'heure de la premiere clarte du jour, qui ne donna

pas si tost par les vitres dans sa chambre, que de

berger devenu druide, en prenant les habits d'Alexis,

elle laissa le nom de Celadon pour celuy de la fille
d'Adamas (III, 1, 1H).

106

By having the reader discover the time of day slowly, d‘Urfe‘
makes his narrative parallel the gradual, steady advent of
the dawn that he describes. No sooner have the sun's rays
penetrated his bedroom (”pas si tost") than the shepherd
abandons one persona for another. The faint illumination
provided as the sun's filtered rays penetrate the darkness
of the bedroom parallels that which is provided by the early
light of dawn as it cuts through the night. As caladon
first becomes accustomed to his new identity: "les fenes-
tres estoient si fermees que le peu de clarte empeschoit de
descouvrir ce qu‘ils vouloient tenir cacheg et continuerent
de cette fagon plusieurs jours” (II, 10, MOO). D'Urfe’
deftly describes the purpose of this darkness (”peu de
clarteh) with antithesis. In the first clause, he uses the
verbs ”discover” and ”hide." When he makes "discover” the
dependent infinitive of ”prevent," he completely negates
the forcefulness of the former verb. Initial antithesis of
discovery and concealment eventually yields the single pur—
pose of concealment. Antithesis also appears earlier in the
same clause when the author writes both of closed windows
and of sunlight. Once again, with his choice of words,
d'Urfe quickly eliminates the antithesis: the adverb ”peu”
virtually obliterates any brightness. To facilitate dis-
guise, Celadon will use only one tool-~relative obscurity.

Just as Celadon begins to adjust to his new iden-

tity, an uneXpected arrival challenges his confidence:

lO7

Alexis changea toute de couleur, et les jambes luy

tremblerent de sorte qu' elle fut contrainte de

5' asseoir. Leonide qui 5 en prit garde, afin de

mieux couvrir leur dessein, dit a Adamas, qu' il

seroit a prOpos de fermer les vanteaux des fenes~

tres, et ne laisser que fort peu de clarte dans la

sale, afin que l'on s' apperceust moins des change-

mens du visage d Alexis (III, 2, 63).
When the individual who knows him best enters his new home,
the possibility of discovery threatens to transform appear-
ance into reality. Alexis' reaction immediately sets her
collaborators in motion in an attempt at camouflage. D'Urfe’
reinforces the attempt by repeating in substantive form
("changemens") the verb associated with her incapacity and
then by rendering these very changes minimal through the
preceding ”s‘apercevoir moins de." Once more, the tool is
relative obscurity, as d'Urfe’speaks of allowing only a
small quantity of light to enter the darkened room. Ad~
verbs ("fort peu") reduce the illumination to a minuscule
amount. Just as the Chiaroscuro in a painting may create a
certain measure of ambiguity by concealing its main subject
in diffuse light, the darkness in the dimly illuminated room
conceals the actual identity of Celadon.

When she abandons the protection of a building for
the first time, her host carefully plans the conditions of
Alexis' outing: "Adamas creut que pour attendre l'heure du
disner il estoit a'prOpos de leur faire voir les promenoirs,
et cela d'autant plus que ce jour le soleil estoit un peu

couvert de nues" (III, 5, 252). The interplay of clouds

and sunlight is reminiscent of Roger de Piles' ”accidental

108
chiaroscuro."7 Even if no clouds were present at sunset,
the constant change of increasingly darker colors would
create natural chiaroscuro like that which de Piles men-
tions:
y a seulement a 0 server que cette lumiere

etant jaune ou rouge tre sur le soir lorsque le

soleil se couche, ces memes objets participent

non seulement de la lumiere, mais aussi de la

couleur. Ainsi la lumiere jaune venant a se mAler

avec le bleu dont le ciel est naturellement colore,

elle l'altere & luy donne un oeil plus ou moins

verdatre selon /q§e le jaune de la lumiere est plus
ou moins change.

Adamas chooses to show his guests the surroundings at this
particular moment, because the diminished light guarantees
the continued success of CEladon's disguise. Some clouds
partially cover the sun and allow only a grey light to reach
earth. Although the clouds may move occasionally and allow
more sunlight to pierce them, the rays shine neither
brightly nor continually. The late hour also indicates that
the sun's rays have lost further strength because of their
obliqueness. Under such circumstances, the Grand Druid
feels free to send Alexis outdoors, where her initiation
into the world continues. Once again, d'Urfe'places Alexis/
Caladon in a dim setting in which constantly moving light
obscures him so much, that falsehood appears true.

Since disguise attempts to conceal truth, it cannot
dwell in total light. Yet, if it is accepted as truth, it
can dwell in partial light. Astree and Cgladon may live in
the partial light of chiaroscuro, because no one can dis-

tinguish between reality and his masquerade: "Entre la

109
/ . / . . . . . \ .
realite et l'lmaglnalre, qul pourra dlre ou se Sltue le

9

reel?" Celadon's disguise is accepted as reality. How-
ever, since it allows him to approach Astree only in the
name of someone else, the disguise does not instigate a re-
versal. As a result, the shepherd and shepherdess must also
accept the partial darkness of chiaroscuro. They will enjoy
unobscured light and a reversal of their mutual tension and

suffering only when they acknowledge the truth of their

identities and emotions.

**********

We have seen that, before the advent of total light,
the couple remains in almost complete darkness in the heart
of the forest. D'Urfe'selects this environment as the ideal
background against which to have cognitive enlightenment un-
fold. Astr6e is enlightened by the knowledge that Alexis is
Coladon. One might believe that this revelation constitutes
the reversal required to end suffering. Astree already
knows that Celadon never abandoned her for another, because
she found letters after his banishment and has heard the
testimony of others; the disguised shepherd has learned that
she still loves him, because Astr6e admires Alexis' facial
features and fondly utters Celadon's name. Their enlighten—
ment should lead to their happiness, yet it increases
Astree's emotional turmoil. They will not be able to enjoy

reciprocal love until they overcome one more illusion.

llO
Astree must realize the propriety of her relationship with
Alexis/Celadon and recognize her own purity. Only then will
they be capable of enjoying ideal love. Until they overcome
this final illusion, the obscure background serves as a
suitable reflection of the emotional darkness and distress
that Astree and CEIadon feel. The next chapter will see
their emotional suffering yield a final reversal which cul-
minates in the end of chiaroscuro and darkness in pure light
and of tension and suffering in the realization of Ideal

Love.

111
Notes

lRousset, Lg_Litt6rature g§_l)§ge baroque en
France, p. 61.

2The name ”Celadon" will be used when the shepherd's
emotions or actual identity are being considered; the name
"Alexis” will appear when the shepherd‘s disguise is the
most important consideration, or when it colors the emotions
that he manifests.

3In his Pla within a Play (New Haven: Yale Uni-
versity Press, 195 ), Robert Nelson discusses the multiple
levels of reality and the resultant confusion.

l,
Maillard, _p,,git., pp. 168-69.
5

6

Ehrmann, _p, £13,, p. 80.

Refer to chapter three.

7Refer to chapter three.

8de Piles, 9p..glt., pp. 209-10.

9Claude-Gilbert Dubois, Le Baroque: profondeurs de
lfapparence (Paris: Larousse, 1973), p. 188.

CHAPTER V

FROM CHIAROSCURO TO PURE LIGHT

In L‘Astree, the period during which emotional ten-
sion dominates is marked by C61adon's inability to avow his
love. Illusion and tension are the primary focus of the
novel, and the chiaroscuro complementing them is the sty-
listic technique that most occupies d'Urfe's attention.
Daniela Dalla Valle has stated that, despite the fact that
illusion and its resulting tension permeate a Baroque work
and are immediately perceived by the audience, the work re-
solves them before it ends: ”i1 termine stesso di frattura
presupone un‘unita futura, attesa, auspicata, invocata, per
seguita, talvolta raggiunta in extremis...."l In reviewing
her study, Robert Nicolich emphasizes that, for Dalla Valle,
the term frattura is not negative. She "takes special care
to note that frattura in no way implies a pejorative
rottura. Rather than a disorder or confusion, it indicates,
she says, a diverse order of things.”2 Germain Bazin, Jean
Rousset, and Harold Segel3 also arrive at the conclusion
that any tension or disharmony in the lives of Astree and
Caledon is resolved in unity, and that they achieve a life

. . 0/ . .
of calm. Thus, in Baroque fashion, d‘Urle removes dlsgulse,

112

113
resolves tension, and restores calm before concluding his
work.

Since calm existed when the Fountain of the Truth
of Love prevented illusion, tension, and suffering by ac-
curately reflecting all emotional situations in its waters,
unity and harmony return to Forez when the fountain func-
tions again. According to Jacques Ehrmann, it conquers
illusion and ends the accompanying tension only after numer-
ous partial victories and reversals: "L'amour spiritualise’
... n'est pas un acquis, c'est une conqugte, avec ses
victoires partielles et ses revers.”1+ When the fountain
does not function, Celadon leaves his dark abode, but then
refuses to maintain his own identity; Astree regrets her
banishment of Caladon and yearns for his return, but can
barely admit it to herself and can confide in no one; C61a-
don shares sleeping quarters with Astree, but dares not
admit that he loves her as Celadon; the shepherd finally
abandons his disguise, but receives in return only Astree‘s
command that he die. Each slight victory is immediately
obliterated, because none of them results in complete truth.
By devoting so much attention to the illusion preventing
this mutual avowal, d'Urfe’succeeds in rendering the
achievement of the Fountain of the Truth of Love remarkable
("une conquete”). After four months of illusion, in two
days, it succeeds where man could not triumph earlier. It

effects the reversal necessary to end tension and suffering.

11%
As the narrative moves from discord to peace, the
dominant environment changes from chiaroscuro to pure light.
This chapter will examine the necessity of this return to

5

pure light. It is symbolic of divine sanction and the re-
turn to a lost unity that results from the fifth and sixth
structural e1ements--reversal and re-enchantment of the
fountain. This unity6 and sanction are integral parts of

/ / .
Honore d'Urfe's concept of ldeal love.
A Final Moment of Chiaroscuro

Before the shepherds and shepherdesses may enjoy
/
this ideal, d‘Urfe creates one final scene dominated by
chiaroscuro:
on s'apperceut que ... quantite de brouillards
s estoient dissipez, ... ils virent que ce qui
restoit de tenebres et de nuages, n' estoient plus
esleve de terre que de sept ou huict coudees.
Croyants done que cela se perdroit comme 1e
reste, ils resolurent d'attendre encore un peu,
et tout a coup, ils apperceurent au milieu de
cette obscurite, un Amour tout brillant de
clairte qul, s 'eslevant peu a peu, parut enfin

tout droit sur l'amortissement d'un pyramide de
porphyre (I, 9, 393-9A).

Sunlight breaks through the darkness that prevailed imme—
diately after C51adon's revelation. Scant minutes later,
confining itself to an area with a maximum height of ten to
twelve feet above the ground, the once dense fog is becoming
filmy. Foreseeing the continued dissipation and progres-
sively greater diaphanous nature of the vapor, all observers

anticipate and willingly await its momentary disappearance.

115
Baffling them, probably swirling in place, it does not move
in space. The fountain remains partially obscured. When,
like the fog before him, the God of Love proceeds to rise
slowly, he progressively pierces the mist with his bril-
liance and creates varying fleeting patterns of darkness and
light. On this porphyry, the God of Love serves as a sym-
bolic reminder of the chiaroscuro created by his ascent.
When he appears, observers see him on a base where flecks of
white lie embedded in a blackish ground. This alternation
of darkness and light in space viewed in consecutive moments
creates the illusion of motion such as twinkling. As with
the stars in the fourth painting depicting the romance of
Damon and Fortune, black and white components of the column
seem to move in changing patterns of chiaroscuro.

Arisen, the God of Love rapidly sinks beneath the
Fountain of the Truth of Love. Whereas the rise enabled his
brightness to move slowly in and out of the filmy clouds and
intermingle with their darkness for some time, his descent
is swift:

ce dieu se perdit sous la fontaine, sans laisser

nulles marques de luy, sinon qu' en cet instant tous

ces nuages acheverent de disparaltre, et n‘ y resta

plus d‘obscurite, que ce qu' i1 falloit pour faire

qu' on ne se pust mirer dans l'eau” (V, 9, 393).
D'Urfe associates the God of Love with religion by having
him disappear beneath this ancient symbol of terrestrial
Paradise.7 Divine presence vanishes from earth when Love

loses himself under the fountain. In Love's absence, ini-

tially, all is dark. However, the next moment, some measure

116
of light returns, when even the sheerest clouds covering the
fountain evaporate and so remove total obscurity. Ironi-
cally, the God of Love, the divine presence who might be
expected to offer a decree which would enlighten both the
Foreziens and their environment, brings only more chiaro-
§gu;g. Since the slight shadow can obscure the waters of
the Fountain of the Truth of Love and keep it inOperative,
it can both keep people unaware of their emotions and dis-
suade them from expressing those which they have cherished
for some time. As it did throughout Cgladon‘s disguise,
this final usage of chiaroscuro underscores dramatically the
moral message that love exists only in truth and light,

while deceit exists in shadow.
The End of the Fourth Structural Element

By uncovering truth and reciprocal love, the Foun-
tain of the Truth of Love can end the uncertainty and
tension associated with chiaroscuro and serve as the source
of unity and pure light. The return to truth is symbol-
ically dramatized as Adamas returns the clothes that Celadon
wore before the beginning of his masquerade:

Adamas alors se souvenant qu'il les avoit enfermez,
luy alla querir incontinent ceux qu'il portoit
devant son deguisement, et les luy tendant: Tenez,
luy-dit-il, mon fils, ainsi puissent les dieux ne
souffrir jamais que vous recevez du mescontentement
sous cet habit, comme je vous le rends avec un desir
incroyable de vous voir bien tost dans la jouyssance
de ce que vous aymez 1e mieux. Celadon 1es recevant
1e remercia ... (V, 10, #20).

 

117
Before Adamas returns the clothes, an important requirement
has been met: Celadon wants to resume his life as a shep-
herd. When the Grand Druid calls Alexis "mon fils,” he
initiates a second major step in the final return from dis-
guise to reality. For the duration of the masquerade, he
and Alexis addressed each other as ”mon pare” and ”ma fille"
in order to mislead their companions. Since "my father" can
refer either to a priest or to one‘s father, the disguised
Caladon could technically use it in the former sense and
have it mistaken for the latter. Whenever Adamas uttered
”my daughter,” the words constituted a claim that Celadon
was feminine and a deliberate attempt to conceal his iden-
tity. The adoption of "my son" reinforces Adamas' attempt
to divulge Caladon's actual identity and thus force him to
avow it openly. With the shepherd's appreciation upon the
receipt of his clothes, the Grand Druid knows that he has
succeeded. More important, by accepting his own identity,
Celadon begins to move from falsehood to truth and to end
the tension resulting from his disguise.
Truth finally emanates from Astree's journey toward

the ultimate darkness-—death:

Astree, qui craignoit si fort qu' on jugeast mal

de sa vertu, a cause du desguisement et de la

feinte de Celadon, aura par la une preuve

irreprochable de sa purete, d'autant que c‘ est

le prOpre de ces animaux de ne 8 'approcher jamais

d'une chose qui aura quelquefois este pollue (V,

9, 380).

The shepherdess' unique reason for refusing to accept CEla-

don was her recollection of the quasi sensual nature of

H‘—

118

their relationship during his disguise. Allowing her to
lie unharmed at their feet, these normally ferocious beasts
implicitly prove the purity of her actions. Their repose
supports the thesis posited by Joachim Merlant in his study,
"L‘Ame dans l'Astree":

Or d'Urfe a ypulu que ce Druide lui-meme, bien

loin de se delester peu a peu de son humanite

pour gravir les p us hauts degres de l‘ascension

spirituelle, se tlt un beau jour qu' il’etait

bien sous la dependance de son humanite, et "

succombat de bonne grfibea l‘etroite necessite

qui veut que nos regards, aa‘la poursuite de

l'eternelle Beauté, rencontrent 1a beaute

ephemera et qu ils subissent "l'enchantement. "

... mais i1 consent a aimer l‘eternelle per-

fection, sous 1e symbole d'une femme, dont

l'empire est plus fort sur lui qu n' etaient 1es
fortes joies de la contemplation.

Although Merlant refers to the situation of Silvandre, it is
equally true of Astree and Celadon, each of whom serves as
the means by which the other may attempt to reach God. Re-
call that both Ficino and Ebreo also render the goal of
purity attainable in human terms. Partially adopting this
concept, d'Urfe has Astree and CEladon encounter the ephem-
eral counterpart ("la beaute'ephemere”) of eternal beauty.
According to NeOplatonism, Caladon should actually love
Astree only in as much as she is a reflection of the divine
beauty of her Creator. D'Urfeqs narrative is not Neopla-
tonic. Unlike Ficino, Ebreo, and Merlant, he obviously
includes among acceptable actions those which do not repre—
sent mere contemplation. Nonetheless, since Astree has
served as the instrument through which God might eventually

sanction their love, her actions are inherently proper and

119
her purity guaranteed. Were the lions and unicorns to harm
her, they would perpetrate sacrilege. Most of the Foreziens
are aware of the purity of her actions in regard to CEIadon.
Only she remains blind.
She shows that her blindness has ended when the

druid finally engineers an emotional encounter of Astrge
and Ogladon. For the first time since the partners' ini—
tial contentment, Astree speaks the truth publicly:

Mon fils, mon cher Celadon, je te donne non pas

seulement la place que tu avois dans mon coeur,

mais 1e coeur mesme, et s'il me reste apres tant

d‘injures, quelque chose de ce pouvoir absolu,

que tu me donnas jadis sur tes volontez, je te

prie et commande de m'aymer et de vivre (V, 10, A23).
Astree begins by using the intimate ”tu” form and finally
awards him the place that he once held in her heart. She
does not do so simply to assure the shepherd of her affec—
tion. Loving Celadon, she must know that he reciprocates.
Initially asking him to requite her love, she later orders
him to do so, and thus annuls her earlier commandments that
he never come into her sight and that he die. When she
urges him to live, Astree indicates that her blindness has
finally ended. Since she ordered him to die only because
she considered certain of their actions sinful, her rescind-
ing the order must indicate her acceptance of the propriety
of their relationship. With this realization, Astree is
enlightened and prolonged suffering--the fourth structural

element-—ends. The reversal provided by the recognition of

the propriety of their love has eliminated it.

l2O

Soon after Astree reveals her love for the shepherd,
Adamas announces his plan to render their love even more
acceptable. He will unite them in marriage "devant que
demain soit expire" (v, 10, L+25). As the head of the Celtic
religion, Adamas speaks as a social leader and offers the
suggestion that society would have made months earlier if
Astree's and Celadon's parents had not opposed their love.
Now the parents no longer constitute an obstacle.9 When the
actions of the beasts guarding the fountain proved Astree‘s
purity, another obstacle was removed. The Foreziens learned
that——even during CEladon’s disguise-—the lovers did not
violate bienseances.lO The moral rectitude of Astree and
Celadon merits reward. The reward is marriage, a sacrament
which will satisfy Astree and Caladon and hold their love
within the limits of an acceptable social institution.

With the reversal and the end of suffering, the
sixth structural element begins to dominate the narrative
and provides the ultimate sanction of the couple‘s love.
When the-fountain kills the lions and unicorns, its blessing
is merely apparent. Approval becomes explicit only with the
reflection of Astree's and Celadon‘s faces in its waters.
InOperative for months, when the fountain finally functions
again, it also provides supernatural confirmation of truth.
In the seventeenth-century Baroque world where mortals have
supported a dichotomy between appearance and reality, indi-
viduals require such an extreme proof. Illusion finally

evaporates completely: no one conceals his identity; having

121

seen his face reflected in the fountain, each character is
certain of reciprocal love. Perhaps more reassuring to the
Foreziens is the permanence of this truth. No more will
lovers pine endlessly before learning the nature of their
love. It is true that some couples will learn from their
images that love is not reciprocal. Not yielding to des-
pair, they must merely continue to seek the fountain's
approval, until Love returns an affirmative response and
thus guarantees their continual happiness with other part-
ners. Confirmation and sanction by a magically enchanted
fountain is representative of the Baroque rejection of
rational conformity to an absolute code. It is unimportant
that such a fountain could not rationally exist. What
matters is that the resolution of the dramatic tension
created by the dichotomy between appearance and reality be
represented in an equally dramatic manner.

D'Urfe/ alludes to the ultimate unity of which Dalla
Valle speaks when he mentions the restfulness that Astree
and Caladon experience upon seeing their faces reflected in
its waters: ”i1 semble encore aujourd'huy que dans son plus
doux murmure, elle [1a riviere] ne parle d‘autre chose que
repos de CELADON et de la felicite d‘ASTREE” (V, 12, 538).
The fact that the secondary characters in L'Astree have all
come to Forez to seek arbitration indicates that they, too,
have been yearning for calm:

L'amour ne devant epargner aucun des jeunes gens

. /
habltant la contre, d'Urfe montrera comment.
”endormis en leur repos ils se sousmirent a ce

122
flatteur, qui tost aprES changea son authorite'
en tyrranie,” (I, p. 29); de telle sorte que le
repos, qui etait presenté’comme 1e theme impose

de leur vie bucolique, va devenir un objet recherche

ou plutot,un objet qui 1es contraindra a rechercher
la verite eux-memes et sur autrui, alors qu'ils aur—

aient pu, subissant l'influence de ce theme pastoral,

falre dependre leurs agpiiatlons d‘un ldeal collectlf

apparemment tres llmlt .
Daniela Dalla Valle has classified this yearning as ”una
larga parte della spiritualita'barocca.“l2 Once all charac-
ters in L‘Astree have achieved calm and d'Urfe’has announced
their imminent marriages, the novel ends. As in the Italian
drama of the same period, marriages are announced, but cere—
monies are not generally staged. Once conflict has been
resolved and tension released, the dichotomy between illu-
sion and reality achieves resolution in the lives of all of
the Foreziens, the tension and suffering ends, and lovers

find peace, marriage merely constitutes a socially accep-

table gratuity.

Pure Light as the Reflection of the
Sixth Structural Element

With repose dominant in all of Forez, Honore/d'Urfe’
must alter the lighting. Darkness is the suitable environ-
ment for the hOpeless world of Celadon's forest grotto.
Chiaroscuro is suitable for paralleling, and thus rein-
forcing, cognitive and emotional irresolution. Now in a
world of divinely sanctioned, reciprocal love and calm, it

would be inappropriate for either darkness or chiaroscuro

123

to continue a supporting role. Consequently, they have
vanished and pure light has appeared:

Car a‘peine 1e Druide eut achevfi de parler ue

1e nuage qui couvroit la fontaine s’ouvrit a

l‘accoustume et pen a peu on vid sortir de l‘eau

une colonne de marbre blanc, sur laquelle Amour

parut, ... puis tout a coup ayant disparu 1e nuage

se referma; mals on prlt garde qu'll allolt peu a

peu eslevant ... (V, 12, 527).
Throughout LfAstree, in the cognitive realm, uncertain light
reinforced Caladon's attempt at self-concealment by pro-
viding a shadowy environment. Now that CEladon has accepted
his prOper identity and abandoned his masquerade, d'Urfe’
need no longer rely upon chiaroscuro to conceal the shep-
herd's masculine features or nervous facial expression. In
the emotional sphere, uncertain light reflected Astree's and
Caladon's uncertainty in regard to her feelings for the
shepherd. The knowledge of mutual love finds its reflection
in the full sunlight of the environment. Roger de Piles
claims that clouds are one source of accidental chiaro-
.sgugg.l3 In the case of the fountain, a cloud is the unique
source of the overcast. When it rises, nothing remains to
intercept and/or weaken sunlight.

The end of chiaroscuro does not occur rapidly. Like
the dichotomy between illusion and reality that it repre—
sents, it may disappear only after an inordinate amount of
struggle. Rising slowly, once it has disappeared, it will

not return: ”1e nuage se dissipa tout a’fait" (V, 12, 528).

Likewise, although emotional tension and suffering

12k
disappeared slowly, due to the sixth structural element, the
re—enchantment of the fountain, they will not return.

Most reassuring is the implied divine sanction that
allows this permanence:

In the novel, the shepherdess Astree represents the

ideal of beauty of the Spanish pastoral novels,

where the baroque-classical compromise appears in

the most obvious form. The aim is a maximum of

sensualityhthat is still compatible with Christian

morality.
The fact that the God of Love, the divine presence on
earth,15 leads away any remaining obscurity is one indica-
tion of divine sanction of the couple's love. Another is
the bright white light that he leaves to replace it. Ac-
cording to Jean Rousset, this effect signals divine sanc-
tion: ”La lumiere blanche designe 1a lumiere divine.”16 If
divine light shines for the first time at this moment,
Astree and Caladon must not have violated God‘s will during
their time together. Their love is pure. This compati—
bility with divine will in general could be read as a meta-
phor for conformity with Christian morality. If so, d'Urfe’
has succeeded in his attempt to render the sensuality of
LjAstree compatible with Christianity.

With the arrival of unity, pure light, and divine
sanction, the tension necessary to generate a Baroque plot
no longer exists. In this, _l_.'Astre’e reflects:

La tendance de 1‘oeuvre baroque’a’perdre une part
de son baroquisme durant 1e operations qui 1a
mEhent de l'origine a‘l'achevement; 1e miracle

‘6tant de le conserver le plus pur possible jusqu‘au
bout ...l

125
Honore’d‘Urfe’maintains the dichotomy between appearance
and reality and the accompanying tension and suffering,
typical Baroque tendencies, through the major part of five
volumes. D‘Urfe’eliminates these Baroque elements when
resolving the love story of Astr6e and Celadon. We agree
with Rousset that LfAstree is a Baroque work, because d'Urfe’
does not allow calm to triumph until the final pages of the

last volume. Pure light symbolizes that triumph.

126

Notes

lDaniela Dalla Valle, Lg_Frattura: Studi sul
barocco letterario francese (Ravenna: A. Long, 1970),
pp. 15—16.

2Robert Nicolich, ”The Baroque Dilemma: Some Re—
cent French Mannerist and Baroque Criticism," Oeuvres gt
critiques, 1 (etc, 1976), p. 25.

3GermainBazin states that, ”The baroque tends
towards the reestablishment of unity” [The Baroque: .Ergn-
ci les, Styles, Modes, Themes (London: Thames and Hudson,
1968), p. 19IT Specifying watching one's own reflection in
water, Rousset claims: "Cette rGVerie prend alors des
formes diverses, mais apparentees, qui vont de a vision
trompeuse a l'union des contraires ...” [LfInterieur gt
l'exterieur (Paris: Jose Corti, 1968), p. 199]. perhaps
Harold Segel categorizes best what Dalla Valle said when he
distinguishes the Baroque from Mannerism:

”Mannerist art became highly stylized and, conse-
quently, artificial. In the emergence of the Baroque,
the reaction against Mannerism resulted in a movement
to restore the unity and relative significance of
subject that had been diminished by the excessive
Mannerist concern with form. This restoration of
unity did not carry with it any marked lessening of
interest in technique” [The Baroque Poem: .A,ng—
parative Survey (New York: E. P. Dutton and

Company, 197K). p. 29].

hEhrmann, op. cit., p. 15.

5”Love is that by which man gains the truth and
light of heaven. . . . By means of love man comes in con-
tact with an entity which leads to the real world” [James
Michael Sharkey, "The Directionality of the Metaphor of
Light as Indicator of the Baroque” (unpublished Ph. D.
dissertation, University of North Carolina, 1969), p. 137].

6The shepherd Thamire advises:

”1a perfection [de l'amour] est tellement en l‘unitE:
qu'elle ne peut jamais estre parfaitte, qu'elle n'ait
atteint cet un auquel elle tend. Et cela est cause,
... que de deux personnes qui s'entr'ayment, l'amour
n'en fait qu'une; ... s'il est vray que cha ue per—
sonne ait une prOpre et particuliere volonte, i1

127

s‘ensuit, si l'aymant et l'aymee n'en ont qu'une,
qu'ils ne soient donc qu'une mesme personne"

(IV, 5, 233)-

7J. E. Cirlot,_A Dictionary_gf Symbols, trans. by
Jack Sage (New York: Philosophical Library, 1962), p. 107.

8Merlant, pp, cit., p. 12.

9D'Urfe’does not explain why the parents now accept
the marriage. Perhaps they have reconsidered. Perhaps they
have died. Their lack of opposition is a fait accompli.

lORene Bray describes two types of bienseances:

. ./ .
”Du ressort des [bienseances internes] sont 1es rap—
ports entre les caracteres attribues aux personnages
et les situations ou circonstances dans lesquelles
se trouvent ces personnages, ou encore tel trait du
car ct5re et tel autre trait, et cela, c'e t la
theorie des moeurs. Du ressort des bienseances
externes sont les rapports entre’les garactéres,
les sentiments, 1es gestes, representes par le
poete, et 1e gout du lecteur ou de l‘auditeur.
Et ici 1e concept de bienseance demande encore 5‘
etre subdivise. Lorsque 1e public impose sous le
nom de\bienseance 1e respect de la mode dans les
caracteres, i1 ne fait qu‘appliquer la grande regle
de la vraisemblance; lorsqu'il impose sa conception
de l‘honnetete, il introduit au contraire une notion
morale, independante de la notion tout intellectuelle
de vraisemblance” [Formation de_lg_doctrine classique
§n_France (Paris: Hachette, 1927), p. 216].

llKoch,._gp_. cit., p. 388.

12Daniela Dalla Valle, "11 mito dell‘eta\ dall'oro e
la concezione dell‘amore dall'Aminta alla pastorale barocco
francese” in.La Frattura: Studi sul barocco letterario
francese (Ravenna: A. Long, 1970), pp.—6l+62.

13Refer to pages 65-66.

lbrHelmut Hatzfeld, Literature through Art: A_New
Approach to French Literature (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1952), p. 6%.

 

 

 

lDRefer to page 115.

léRousset,.L'Interieur,gt,l‘exterieur, p. 35.
Maxime Gaume echoes Rousset and James Sharkey (see note #5
of this chapter):

128

”Selon Silvandre qui est le porte- parole d‘Honore
d’Urfe, l'amour vrai, constant et reciproque est
source d’harmonie et d'union parfaite. Mais pour
Ficin et Leon HEbreu dont 5 ins ire l'auteur de
L'Astree l'amour est un intermediaire entre l'ame
et ieu, ou mieux encore, i1 permet a l'homme de
s' elever’jusqulatson createur pour s' unir a lui
en une felicite eternelle" ["Magie et’religion
dans,L‘Astree, ” Revue deistoire litteraire de
la France, 77 (mai-aout,1977),p.38fi].

l7Rousset, La_Litterature geIIfage baroque, p. 232.

 

CONCLUSION

An analysis according to a section of Harold Segel's
study on Baroque poetry will show that, from its point of
departure to its denouement, in both content and style,
.L'Astree is a Baroque work:

The Baroque artist worked . . . toward unity, toward
reintegration; aware of antitheses and paradoxes and
incongruities in the world about him, he sought their
reconciliation in the same manner that flesh and
spirit were reconciled and viewed as essentially in-
divisible not only in Catholic thought but in much
Protestant teaching as well.
Honore'd'Urfe'first creates and multiplies antitheses, para-
doxes, and incongruities in the myriad of love stories with
which he permeates his novel. Even as d'Urfe'causes confu-
sion in the reader‘s mind, he works toward the creation of a
unified work by layering antithesis, paradox, and incon-
gruity upon a constant theme which he develops with two
equally consistent stylistic techniques.

As his all pervasive theme, d'Urfe’develops the idea
of the desirability of reciprocal love sanctioned by God.
Although the importance of divine approval does not expli-
citly manifest itself until the conclusion, from the outset,
reciprocity is of the utmost significance. In their mutual

,/
affection, Astree and Cgladon represent an almost ideal

situation. When dissension arises between them, yearning

129

130
for this ideal, like more than forty other lovers, this
shepherd and his lady painstakingly seek the reaffirmation
of each other's love that will return them to their initial
relationship. Before d'Urfé will allow anyone to enjoy
peace, he infuses each of the romantic conflicts with such
varying attributes of courtly, Platonic, and pastoral love,
that the reader may cease to remember the relatively simple
goal of the lovers. The details of intercalated stories may
involve the secrecy, patience, moderate sensual pleasure,
and male servitude inherent to medieval courtly love; they
may acquire vestiges of the search for spiritual union
reminiscent of Platonic love; they may develop the pastoral
yearning for the innocent free love of the Golden Age and
set it in a plot comprised of obstacle and reversal. Only
when Astrée and Caladon arrive at the Fountain of the Truth
of Love does the relative importance of the courtly, Pla—
tonic, and pastoral traditions emerge. D‘Urfermerely draws
upon them and then arrives at his own concept. As L'Astree
ends, it is obvious that d'Urfe has been moving the complex
plot of each love story toward a common denouement: "La
Fontaine de la Verite’d'Amour illustre cette transformation
de l‘amant en l'aime'.”2 Initially, this capacity is remi-
niscent only of the Platonic ideal that lovers forget them-
selves completely and consider their partners constantly, as
they abandon their own identities. Beyond Platonic trans-
formation of lovers, the fact that individuals see their

faces reflected in the basin indicates their shared love--

131

the ultimate goal of courtly and pastoral love as well.
Reciprocal love has not only returned to Astree and Cgladon,
but has also entered the lives of all Foreziens.

When, by grace of the Fountain of the Truth of
Love, the reader finally is reassured that a return to
reciprocal love has always been Honore'd'Urfels primary
intention, he also receives information about the second
attribute of this ideal love. Until this moment, various

measures of darkness have interfered with the mirror effect

in
4

of its waters. Now, shining clearly above the fountain,
sunlight permits lovers to see their images. Since pure,
pervasive light constitutes a metaphor for a divine pres-

3

ence, one may intuit God's approval of each of the
approaching unions. The marriage of Astree and C51adon is
the first to receive His blessing. With this sanction, the
author succeeds in reconciling the flesh and the spirit:
he attenuates the sensuality of their relationship with the
socially and divinely acceptable institution of marriage.
Between the loss of reciprocal love and its return,
one stylistic technique which Honore’d'Urfe uses to orga—
nize antithesis, paradox, and incongruity is an initially
imperceptible six—part structure which forms the crux of
each of the love stories that he unfolds. The most impor-
tant conflict to exhibit this six-part structure is that of
Astree and Caladon. Their story occupies more space than
any other. By fulfilling the oracle that allows the foun-

tain to function again, they are instrumental in

l32
guaranteeing that, henceforth, partners will always be able
to learn of their reciprocal love without enduring the
third, fourth, and fifth steps of d'Urfels structural model.
Unless an extreme situation arises, the obstacle to love,
prolonged suffering, and reversal which are common elements
of a Baroque plot will no longer exist.

Just as a verbal description of a series of paint-
ings provides the archetype for each story's six-part struc-
ture, it also furnishes the model for chiaroscuro, a stylis-
tic technique which d‘Urfe’adopts from Baroque painting.
Changes in darkness and light like those occurring in the
paintings of Damon and Fortune also occur in the numerous
other love stories and constitute a major tool in the de-
velopment of the six-part structure of the love story of
Astree and Celadon. The immediate result of Astree's ban—
ishment of 061adon is that both feel unloved. As the
shepherd consciously seeks self-annihilation and lives like
a beast in the forest, reflecting his mood, the countryside
lies steeped in blackness. Because CEladon returns to
society only partially during the period of his disguise,
bright light is inapprOpriate. Due to this step toward
effecting a reversal, blackness is also inapprOpriate. In
this new state where his disguise renders him tense and
uncertain in the presence of his beloved, only uncertain
illumination should prevail. Since the greater portion of
Astree's and Caladon's story occurs during his disguise,

the protagonists function in chiaroscuro during most of the

133

novel. When Celadon‘s abandonment of his disguise fails to
effect a reversal, the reader‘s uncertainty as to the
couple‘s reunion increases momentarily and chiaroscuro in
the environment continues to parallel it. It may end only
with the arrival of certainty.

With the restoration of the powers of the Fountain
of the Truth of Love, no one will ever remain uncertain of
his love. Once again able to reflect the faces of indivi-
duals who enjoy reciprocal love, the fountain has succeeded
in returning Forez to the state of peace that it enjoyed
only long before Astree and Celadon met. Neither blackness
nor the uncertain light of chiaroscuro is adequate to indi-
cate complete truth and contentment. White light bathes the
shepherds‘ homeland.

The reconciliation of all partners-—even Stella and
the inconstant Hylas, the guaranteed permanence of their
devotion, and the advent of pure light may initially make it
appear that d‘Urfe’has unified his novel only by affixing a
Classical denouement to his Baroque work. With the reflec—
tions of the fountain to insure the permanence of devotion,
the third and fourth elements of the six-part structure
disappear: no more obstacles will arise to alter love; no
one need endure prolonged suffering. There is no need for a
reversal, and the fifth structural element also ceases to
exist. Since the Fountain of the Truth of Love no longer
permits obstacles and reversals, the relationship of a

couple will never degenerate to distrust or dislike. An

13H

atmosphere of peace will constantly dominate Forez. Such
immutability is characteristic of Classicism. Serving a
purpose only when it parallels the uncertainty of imperfect
affective relationships, with their disappearance and the
advent of immutability, Baroque chiaroscuro is incongruous.
Only pure light can serve as an adequate environmental re-
inforcement for the perfect reciprocal love dominant in
Forez. Clearly illuminating the fountain and those who

approach it, brilliant sunlight is reminiscent of the

 

illumination in a Classical painting.)+ There, explicitly
delineating the center of interest, the light emanating
from the artist‘s brush strokes leaves nothing to the
viewer‘s imagination. Here, the reader finally surmises
that Honorg'd‘Urfels five volumes have been devoted to his
espousal of divinely sanctioned reciprocal love.

The eventual structural unity, the arrival of per—
manent love, and an environment bathed in pure light do not
render L‘Astree a Classical work. D‘Urfe’must unravel the
knot that he has been tying for thousands of pages. When
the novel ends, the mutability of uncertainty, tension, and
chiaroscuro dominates the reader‘s attention more than its
resolution. The amazing feat is d‘Urfels ability to forego
resolving his novel in immutability and to continue working
on this intricate knot until the final pages of the fifth
volume. It is this intricate knot that renders L‘Astfee

Baroque.

135
Notes

lSegel,_gp. cit., p. 64.

2Gaume,,9__p_. cit., p. 20.
3Sharkey, pp, cit., p. 137.

1+Refer to page 63.

 

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French Mannerist and Baroque Criticism. " Oeuvres
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Rousset, Jean. Anthologie Le 1a poesie baroque frangaise.
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. "La Definition du terme 'Baroque'. " Actes Lu
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. W
Litterature comparee. Utrecht, Holland, 1961,

 

 

/. f. . .
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Saintsbury, George. .A History 9; the French Novel Lg the
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Schuerr, Friedrich. Barock,K1assizismus und Rokok01 in der
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Segel, Harold B. The Baroque Poem: .A Comparative Survey.
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Sharkey, James Michael. ”The Directionality of the Meta—
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/
IV. .L‘Astree

Adam, Antoine. ”La thébrie mystique de l‘amour dans
L' Astree et ses sources italiennes." Revue /
d' Histoire Le 1a Philosophie et d Histoire ge n-

‘Erale Le la Civilisation,H (1936), 193- 206.

Bochet, Henri. L' Astree d' Honore d' Urfe: Ses origines,

son importance dans la formation d3 La litterature
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1H8

Bonfiglio, Jean. Les Sources litt6raires g§_1'Astr6e.

Torino: n. p., 1911. "

Carroll, Malcolm. ”L' Astree, or Virtue Corrupted. "

Trivium, 8 (1973), 27- 36.

Cirlot, J. E. ,A Dictionary 2: Symbols. Translated by Jack
Sage. New York: Philosophical Library, 1962.

Dusuit, Fernand. "Les cles de l'Astree. " Arts 2; Livres

Le Provence, 35 (1958),_1516

Ehrmann, Jacques. Un Paradis desespere: L’amour e;
_;'illusion dans l‘Astree. Paris: —Presses univer-
sitaires, 1963.

Fischer, Walther Paul. ”The Lite ary Relations between
La Fontaine and the Astree of Honore d'Urfe. ” Un-
published Ph. D. dissertation, University of Penn-
sylvania, 1912.

 

Gaume, Maxime. "Les Inspirations et les sources de l'oeuvre
d ‘Honor6 d'Urfe. L' Information litteraire, 29

 

. ”Magie et religion dans l'Astree.” Revue g_His
toire Litteraire Le La France, 77 (mai- aofit, 19 fl7)
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Genette, Gerard. Figures: Essais. Paris: Editions du
Seuil, 1966.

Germa, Bernard. LfAstree de Honore d‘Urfe, sa composi-

tion, son influence. Paris: Picard et fils, 190M.

Giorgi, Giorgetto. LfAstr6e g; Honore derfe tra Barocco

.e Classicismo. Florence: La Nuova Italia Edi—
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Koch, Paule. "L' Ascese du repos ou l‘intention ideologique
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Laugaa, Maurice. ”La Peinture dans L‘Astree." Bulletin Le
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Longeon, Claude. Do uments sur la Vie Intellectuelle en
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149

Mac Mahon, Mary C. :Aesthetics and Art in the Astr6e of
Honore d'Urfe." Unpublished Ph. D. dissertation,
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- ,. . I’ .
Magenoie, Maurice. Du nouveau sur l‘Astree. Paris:
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Merlant, Joachim "L‘gme dans LfAstree." Revue des Cours
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Patru, Olivier), "Eclaircissemens sur l'histoire de
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n. p., 1861. i
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V. General References

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