«Plus tost mourir que changer ma pensee"»: Marot poete «engage»"?

Abstract

As the example of Clement Marot shows, the notion of litterature engagee" has to be rethought before being used in the socio-political context of the Renaissance. First, Marot's religious thought seems to contradict the notion of negative criticism. Second, Marot's polemical writings display stylistic tools aimed at protecting himself; it would therefore be more accurate to talk in terms of activism since "engagement" implies the formal implication of the author in his writings. Third, it is probably in direct interaction with the king rather than with the general audience that Marot comes closest to being an"auteur engage."