The concept of body politic in the French political and philosophical discourse of 14th century
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2023-9-200-231
Abstract
Throughout the 14th – 15th centuries, French intellectuals actively used the concept of body politic in their works – in mirrors for princes, sermons, ballads and first political treatises. In this vein, both ancient examples of the construction of such models and medieval works were subjected to rethinking. The metaphor of the body politic became a constant leitmotif of the 14th century mirrors for princes, who with the help of that trope tried to explain the complex social structure and reflect on the abstract nature of the state. While in them the political body often served as an ideal, a model of correct state structure, the antipode became the image of a sick or monstrous body. Eustache Deschamps refers to such an image in his ballads, using it to demonstrate the deplorable state of the French kingdom, mired in feuds and the hardships of war with England. The metaphor of the political body was interpreted in a variety of ways: it was a concept designed to consolidate opposing social groups and political factions around the figure of the monarch, but at the same time it could be used to criticize the corruption of the ruler’s close associates. Such different strategies of interpretation of that concept compel to further analyze the genesis and development of metaphorical descriptions of the state.
Keywords
About the Author
P. S. Bychkov
Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel S. Bychkov
32а, Leninsky Av., Moscow, 119334
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Review
For citations:
Bychkov P.S. The concept of body politic in the French political and philosophical discourse of 14th century. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2023;(9(2)):200-231. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2023-9-200-231
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