Jean Lemaire de Belges

Peter Eubanks (James Madison University)

Ed. by Robert J. Hudson, Brigham Young University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.02: French Writing and Culture in the Renaissance, 1400-1600.
Vol. editors: Robert J. Hudson (Brigham Young University), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), Phillip John Usher (New York University), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 1473
Died c. 1524

Places

Born in Hainaut
Active in Belgium; France; Italy

Activities

Primary

Poet

Other

Essayist
Historian / Chronicler
Pamphleteer

Resources

Lemaire's Works

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Sometimes referred to as the “first humanist poet of France”, Jean Lemaire de Belges (1473–ca. 1524) was born in the Hainaut region, which at the time comprised parts of what are today France and Belgium. As a poet whose literary

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would witness the transition from manuscript to print culture as well as the near-seamless transformation of late medieval culture into early humanism, Lemaire’s works are of particular interest to those with interests in the history of the book and the beginnings of literary humanism in French-speaking Europe.

As a young man, Lemaire studied rhétorique at Valenciennes under the able tutelage of his godfather and likely uncle, Jean Molinet (1435–1507), who instructed his pupil in the familiar rhythms, rhymes, and wordplay long associated with

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Citation: Eubanks, Peter. "Jean Lemaire de Belges". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14457, accessed 25 November 2024.]