Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron: A Renaissance Enigma - Elizabeth Zegura

Presented by: Professor Elizabeth Zegura This course will focus on Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron, a collection of putatively “true” stories inspired by Boccaccio’s Decameron. Composed in the 1540s, the entertaining Heptaméron is puzzling on several counts. That the Queen of Navarre, sister of King Francis I and a woman known for her piety, would pen such racy tales—about adultery, trickery, clergy abuse, and murder—is surprising in and of itself. We will explore this conundrum throughout the course. I