A propos de ce project / About the project
Les collections importantes des Mazarinades sont conservées dans les bibliothèques de plusieurs pays. Citons particulièrement la Bibliothèque nationale de France, la Bibliothèque Mazarine, la Folger Library, la Houghton Library de Harvard University, et à la Bibliothèque de l’université de Tokyo. La Collection de Livres Rares de la Wilson Library à l’Université de Caroline du Nord à Chapel Hill a aussi un fonds riche et varié de près de mille Mazarinades. Dans cette exposition Scalar, les étudiants de FREN 387, « Paris/Versailles : La cour et la ville au XVIIe siècle », proposent de vous faire découvrir une sélection de ces Mazarinades. Chaque entrée offre une lecture détaillée d’un pamphlet choisi, avec des illustrations, notes bibliographiques, et liens supplémentaires pour servir de guide aux chercheurs qui s’intéressent à cette collection.
Les auteurs tiennent à remercier le personnel de la Wilson Library et de la Davis Library, et plus particulièrement Emily Kader, Joanneke Eliot, et Sarah Morris, qui ont généreusement soutenu ce projet.
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Mazarinades are the pamphlets and lampoons printed during the Fronde (1649-1653) to attack the policies of Prime Minister Cardinal Jules Mazarin. According to historians, nearly 5,000 unique titles were published, illustrating the astonishing creativity of frondeur writers. Often satirical, funny, or burlesque in nature, Mazarinades mock not only the hated prime minister, but also several aspects of society and culture. Some parody various print genres such as the catechism, recipe book, almanac, or news gazette. Others burlesque literary culture through reference to the Neoclassical tradition and lofty forms such as the epic or tragedy. Still others anchor their critique of Mazarin within the popular culture of their time, evoking the spirit of Carnival or speaking in the name of the "voice of the people." In this way, the study of Mazarinades not only allows us to understand political debates of the time of the Fronde but also to appreciate the dynamism of French culture in the mid 17th century.
Major collections of Mazarinades are held by libraries around the world, including the French National Library, Mazarine Library, Folger Library, the Houghton Library at Harvard, and the library of the University of Tokyo. The Rare Book Collection at Wilson Library at UNC, Chapel Hill, also holds a rich and varied collection of nearly one thousand Mazarinades. In this Scalar exhibit, students in FREN 387, "Paris/Versailles: The Court and the City in the 17th Century," invite you to discover a selection of these Mazarinades. Each entry offers a detailed reading of a chosen pamphlets, with illustrations, notes, and links to serve as a guide for researchers interested in this collection.
The authors would like to thank the staff at Wilson and Davis Libraries, in particular Emily Kader, Joanneke Elliot, and Sarah Morris, for their generous support.
