Among the masterpieces of narrative bourgeois literature produced during the Middle Ages in France, the Roman de Renart occupies a significant position. Grouped into twenty-seven long independent poems called “branches,” written by different “clercs” or jongleurs, the work became popular primarily in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Subsequent versions were added in the fourteenth century. The poets, chiefly anonymous and coming from Picardy or the Ile-de-France, used various types of animals to ridicule human foibles. A recital of the actions of these animals is interspersed with vast compilations of knowledge, but the main theme of the epic remains the implacable enmity between the fox and the wolf. ... Some of the most interesting French manuscripts of the Roman de Renart are found at the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris. Among the copies, two that reveal highly entertaining miniatures are fr. 1581 (thirteenth century) and fr. 12584 (fourteenth century). ... In the manuscripts the artists paint numerous miniatures that show the well-known figure of Renart the fox, Brun the bear, Ysengrin the wolf, Tibert the cat, Noble the lion, as well as a host of other animals such as donkeys, reindeer, goats, and also birds. Depictions of the rebellious Renart, who continually pokes fun at justice, occur repeatedly. - [Author]

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DOI: 10.2307/766567