ABSTRACT
This chapter brings the study full circle by looking at the applicability of rules and rationality in the work of Marin Mersenne. The alignment of what is rational with what is perceived as beautiful was a central concern in the early modern period. Attention was increasingly paid to the capabilities of the subjective listener, and thinkers of the period were conflicted on whether art should follow a prescribed set of rules. This chapter investigates how these problems were articulated in the work of Mersenne and his contemporaries, pointing to an increasing tension between rules, taste, mind, and ear.
