Le Roman de Renart: Joyeuses aventures des compères Renart et Ysengrin

Abstract

There is a decided style to this artist's approach. The monochrome illustrations are deliberately sketchy, suggestive. Typical and strong is the illustration on 66 of Belin delivering to King Noble a sack that he thinks is an important message. This "message" is of course the head of Lamp. As I look through this version, I am struck by the plasticity of the Renard tradition. Some events are included or not in each version, but -- maybe even more importantly -- the order seems also quite changeable. I wonder if that does not mean that different versions lead to quite different views of clever Renard. This was one of the few books I was able to identify before travelling that I wanted to acquire while I was in Paris. I am not sure what to make of the "cute" cover picture. Is that not Renard sizing up his soon to be victim, who looks like a simple cuddly cat?