According to the Ancient Greeks, artistic inspiration came
from one of the Muses, three female deities who gave men the power to create.
The
poet Hesiod expanded the number of muses to nine: Calliope, Clio, Erato,
Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania.
Of course, there have been real-life people who have served
as muses for writers. I found some
interesting articles about such literary muses.
and
and
There is some overlap in these three articles, but I was
surprised that none of them mentioned Laura de Noves who had such a great
influence on the poetry of Francesco Petrarch.
Laura de Noves (1310–1348) was the wife of Count Hugues de Sade (an ancestor
of Marquis de Sade).
She is probably the
Laura that Petrarch wrote about extensively though she has never been
positively identified as such.
Petrarch saw her for the first time in Avignon on Good
Friday in 1327 at mass in the church of Sainte-Claire d'Avignon.
After this first encounter with Laura,
Petrarch spent the next three years in Avignon singing his purely platonic love
and haunting Laura in church and on her walks.
Petrarch then left Avignon but returned in 1337 and bought a small
estate at Vaucluse to be near his dear Laura. Here, for the next three years,
he wrote numerous sonnets in her praise.
Laura died in 1348; years later, Petrarch wrote a religious allegory in
which Laura is idealized.
There is a novel, Muse
by Mary Novik, which claims to be “the story of the charismatic woman who was
the inspiration behind Petrarch's sublime love poetry.” Here’s my review of that book:
2 Stars
The protagonist of this novel is Solange LeBlanc who,
according to the publisher’s description, is “the charismatic woman who was the
inspiration for Petrarch’s sublime love poetry.” Set in 14th century Avignon,
this book, contrary to this description, is not the story of Laura de Sade who
was Petrarch’s muse, the one without whom Petrarch claims his poems “’have no
substance.’” Instead, the book is the story of Solange who is his lover but, in
terms of Petrarch’s poetry, could best be described as his editor. The novel
details several rises and falls in the fortunes of a woman who is viewed at
various times as a prophet, harlot, witch, and saint.
My major problem with the book is the character of Solange.
I wanted to feel sympathy for her because she is certainly used and then
discarded by men, but she does nothing to help her situation. She does stupid
things (cheating on Pope Clement VI) and then seems amazed when there are
negative repercussions for her behaviour. Her relationship with Petrarch also
makes no sense. Over and over and over again, he mistreats her horribly, in
private and in public, yet she still goes back to him? He even tells her, “’I
can never give you everything you want from me’” and says that he loves her but
only “’With my flesh, but not my soul. That belongs to Madonna Laura.’”
Nonetheless Solange keeps going back to him and she justifies her actions by
saying, “He will change the face of literature forever. Much can be forgiven a
man of such greatness.” She also states, “I have learnt that it is possible to
love and hate the same man,” yet none of this hate is evident. Instead, she
reserves her hatred for Laura who really does nothing and who, because of her
marital status and social position, has virtually no contact with Petrarch.
The pacing of the novel is uneven. Sometimes, years are
dismissed in a few pages; at other times, tedious details are given. For
example, several times, parades of people are mentioned: “Advancing were
Clement’s nephews, Nicolas de Besse and Guillaume de La Jugie, followed by the
men who had married into the family, then the uncles, cousins, officers, and
Limousin nobles.” And “I was pulling on my azure robe when in came Hugues Roger
with the surgeon de Chauliac . . . After them arrived Captain Aigrefeuille of
the pointed stars, with the jailer Renaud de Pons. Five or six other men, all
vital to palace operations, entered the room.” And “the rank and file of papal
functionaries marched past, followed by squires and knights in battle armour,
then the city marshall, the camerlengo, and the grand penitentiary . . .” And
“We were met by sixteen cardinals, plus counts, bishops, damoiseaux, captains,
chevaliers, down the line to ecuyers . . . ” These lists serve little purpose
except to indicate that the author did considerable research for the book. That
research is commendable, but sometimes information is needlessly repeated.
Twice we are told that prostitutes had to wear “crimson ribbons” and four times
it is mentioned that people believed that the soul entered the body on the
eightieth day.
There are events that are unbelievable. Women become
pregnant almost on demand. Solange twice arranges to conceive, each time after
having intercourse only once. Laura manages to do the same as well. One minute
Solange learns that the pope is finished with her and the next minute, when she
returns to her room, she finds her maids “already pawing my garments”? One day
Solange has difficulty having any physical contact with Angiere but shortly
afterwards Solange wants someone else to assist Angiere as she gives birth,
“someone else to attend her, someone who did not love her as I did.” The
juxtaposition of Solange’s arrival at Clairefontaine and Mother Agnes’s illness
seems coincidental.
Despite my hopes, this book was disappointing.
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
