French Literature Reviews - 2026

Agrippa d'Aubigné, Political Writings
Medieval and Renaissance Studies

COMPLETE WORKS VOLUME II. POLITICAL WRITINGS

Works published under the direction of Jean-Raymond Fanlo, Marie-Madeleine Fragonard, Gilbert Schrenck.
Edited by Jean-Raymond Fanlo

Honoré Champion
"Textes de la Renaissance" Collection
Paris 29.01.07
ISBN: 9782745313515
832 p.
63 €

Publisher's overview:

This second volume contains all of Agrippa d'Aubigné's known political writings, including numerous previously unpublished texts. Spanning the years 1606 to 1626, these works are all occasional writings, yet viewed through the grand historical, religious, and moral perspectives that shape Agrippa d'Aubigné's entire oeuvre. They offer profound insight into the intellectual, political, and religious history of early seventeenth-century France and Europe. Some of these texts are true literary masterpieces. Ranging from carnival farce to apocalyptic invective, they draw upon an inspiration as richly discordant as that of Les Tragiques; the tensions between religious zeal and national identity, and between defending the rights of subjects and respecting the monarchy, highlight a particularly revealing chapter in the history of political thought.

Agrippa d'Aubigné remains a figure of late Renaissance and early modern French literature, known for his engagement in the religious conflicts of his time. The genre of political writing during the early seventeenth century frequently intersected with polemical treatises, occasional pamphlets, and moral tracts, reflecting the turbulent landscape of European statecraft and confessional strife. Works of this period often negotiated the boundaries between royal authority and the liberties of subjects, a central debate in French political thought following the Wars of Religion.

This second volume contains all of Agrippa d'Aubigné's known political writings, including numerous previously unpublished texts. Spanning the years 1606 to 1626, these works are occasional writings viewed through the grand historical, religious, and moral perspectives that shape the author's oeuvre. Ranging from carnival farce to apocalyptic invective, they touch upon themes such as religious zeal, national identity, and the monarchy. Readers interested in early modern French literature and the history of political thought may find this collection relevant.