Storytelling through architecture: the miniatures of the Cent Nouvelles nouvelles
Résumé
The Cent nouvelles nouvelles are and should be considered as a single whole. They are, as we all know, a collection of short stories. But besides that, they are, really, a textual variation or a literary play on variations of a single theme: that of the substitution amoureuse. This theme gives the collection a cohesion and coherence that has led and allowed scholars to observe interesting aspects in the narrative thread . I propose to focus on the interaction between text and image in order to distil a further essence in the nature of the CNN, specifically as they are presented in manuscript Hunter 252.
Much has been said about the textual narrative and about the iconographic elements in the CNN. However, they are often treated as two independent, or at least autonomous components of the manuscript. I would like to offer you a reading of at least some of the short stories in the collection through the dialogical relationship of these two constitutive elements. Indeed, one of the most useful observations regarding the nature of the nouvelles was offered by Madeleine Jeay who pointed out a 'narrative algebra' in the elaboration of the possible configurations of the aforementioned single, unifying theme. I would like to build upon this statement in light of two observations that I feel bring about coherence to the iconographic program whilst solidifying the alliance between text and image: (1) what appears to be a close reading of the texts by the illuminator, and (2) a methodical iconographic experimentation that eventually establishes a visual structure through the use of architecture.