ABSTRACT

Helisenne de Crenne (the pen name of Marguerite Briet, who was born around 1510, and died sometime after 1552) is now recognized as one of the most important early French women writers. Le Songe [Lady Helisenne’s Dream], her third book, was published in 1540. In this text, various allegoriO cal figures-Shame and Sensuality, Reason and Chastity-debate issues of free will, divine grace, passionate love, and especially the dignity of women. By identifying Cicero’s De Republica (which includes the celebrated Somnium Scipionis [Dream of Scipio], on which Macrobius wrote an influential commentary) as her inspiration, the narrator places her tale squarely within the dream vision genre, which had been widely practiced since the twelfth century. Other works that may have provided models for Helisenne’s text are Jean de Meung’s Roman de la Rose and Christine de Pizan’s Cite des Dames [City of Ladies].