Loose-Leaf Version for Patterns for College Writing by Laurie Kirszner

Loose-Leaf Version for Patterns for College Writing by Laurie Kirszner

This monograph offers a comprehensive study of the topos of the>malmari e or the unhappily married woman within the thirteenth-century motet repertory, a vocal genre characterized by several different texts sounding simultaneously over a foundational Latin chant. Part I examines the>malmari e motets from three vantage points: (1) in light of contemporaneous canonist views on marriage; (2) to what degree the French>malmari e>texts in the upper voices treat the messages inherent in the underlying Latin chant through parody and/or allegory; and (3) interactions among upper-voice texts that invite additional interpretations focused on gender issues.

Part I investigates the transmission profile of the motets, as well as of their refrains, revealing not only intertextual refrain usage between the motets and other genres, but also a significant number of shared refrains between>malmari e motets and other motets. Part I furthermore offers insights on the chronology of composition within a given intertextual refrain nexus, and examines how a refrain's meaning can change in a new context. Finally, based on the transmission profile, Part I argues for a lively interest in the topos in the 1270s and 1280s, both through composition of new motets and compilation of earlier ones, with Paris and Arras playing a prominent role.