Moralising Animals in the Renaissance: A Study of French and English Emblem Books from the 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

The aim of this research project is to explore and conduct a comparative study of emblem books from the 16^th and 17^th centuries during the French and English Renaissance, through an analysis of the symbolism and moralising function of the artistic representation of animals, namely A Choice of Emblems by Geffrey Whitney and Fables by Jean de la Fontaine. The study seeks to identify the ways in which the pictorial and graphic depiction of animals functioned as a medium of cultural and social transmission in both cultural contexts, by expressing and conveying messages of moral and philosophical nature. The objectives of this study are: the identification and in-depth analysis of the moral and didactic function of animal symbolism in emblem books of the English and French Renaissance, a comparative study of the artistic expression of animal symbolism in emblem books from the two cultural contexts and a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which animal allegories in emblem books influenced the moral ideologies of the wider contemporary audience. The methodology used in this paper is: qualitative analysis, consisting of both textual analysis (of the accompanying texts in emblem books) and iconographic analysis (a visual study of emblematic images), comparative study, involving thematic evaluation through the comparison of emblematic approaches in French and English cultural contexts, archival research, including the consultation of archives for the in-depth analysis of emblem texts and books in their original form and an interdisciplinary approach, integrating multiple research fields such as literary criticism, art history, and iconography.