Acknowledgements:

SupportedbytheCentreforResearchintheArts,HumanitiesandSocialSciences(CRASSH),theEuropeanResearchCouncil(ERC)undertheSeventhFrameworkProgramme(FP7/2007-2013)/ERCgrantagreementnoEC617391,theCambridgeHumanitiesResearchGrantSchemeandtheDepartmentofFrench,Universityof

Cambridge

Coverimage:StefanoDellaBella(1610–1664).Rebussull’amore,1647-49,Acquaforteebulino,Roma,IstitutoNazionaleperlaGrafica

CentreforResearchintheArts,SocialSciencesandHumanities(CRASSH)|AlisonRichardBuilding|7WestRoad|CambridgeCB39DT|UK|

www.crassh.cam.ac.uk

ConvenorsTimChestersandRaphaëleGarrodwithAlexanderMarr,JoséRamónMarcaidaandRichardOosterhoff.

RationaleThismultilingualandinterdisciplinaryconferencewillconcludethethirdyearorstrandoftheGeniusBeforeRomanticism:IngenuityinEarlyModernArtandScienceERCprojectdedicatedto‘ingeniousmaking’.In2016-2017,theprojectteamthusfocusesonthematerialandpracticalculturesofingenuityinearlymodernEurope-onthespiritedmatterandmaterialsusedbyartisansandartistsalike,andonthecrafts,skills,andtechniquesofartisansandartists.Wordsareonesuchspiritedmaterial,andthedeploymentofingenuityorwitfoundaparticularlyaptexpressioninwordplay.Theearlymodernsinturnpraisedorcriticizedwordplay-puns,conceits,coinagesandthelike-asasocialdisplayofwit;theyalsotheorisedthissocial,thenliterarypractice.EarlymodernwordplaythusprovidesafreshperspectiveontotheEuropeanpracticalculturesofingenuityandtheirimpactonnationalliteratures.

Programme

Tuesday26SeptemberBarbaraWhiteRoom,NewnhamCollege

12:30-13:45 RegistrationLunch

13:45–14:00 Welcome

14:00–15:00 LATIN(Chair:RichardSerjeantson)

RaphaëleGarrod(NewnhamCollege,UniversityofCambridge)Daedaliopera:Erasmusonobscurity

AnthonyOssaRichardson(UniversityofSouthampton):ElegantiainEarlyModernCriticismandRhetoric

15:00–16:00 SPANISH(Chair:CarolineEgan)

RodrigoCacho(UniversityofCambridge):Quevedo'sBlackHumour

ChristopherJohnson(WarburgInstitute,UniversityofLondon):“Escomohidrabocal”:OnwittywordplayinGraciánandGóngora

16:00–16:30pm Coffee

16:30–17:30pm ITALIAN(Chair:AlexanderMarr)

RaymondEdwardCarlson(ColumbiaUniversity):MichelangeloatPlayinWordsandImages

ItaMacCarthy(UniversityofBirmingham):UntranslatableWit:Ariosto'sInnuendointheHandsofHaringtonandGay

19:30 Dinner:CollegeHall,NewnhamCollege

Wednesday27September BarbaraWhiteRoom,NewnhamCollege

10:00–11:30 ENGLISH(Chair:JoséRamónMarcaida)

KathrynMurphy(OrielCollege,UniversityofOxford):Quips,Quibbles,andConundrums:EarlyModernPunsandScholasticStyle

WillPoole(NewCollege,UniversityofOxford):LogicalFallacyandSomeSeventeenthCenturyPoetry

DavidFrancisTaylor(UniversityofWarwick):PuzzlePictures:TheArrivaloftheSatiricalRebusinBritain

11:30–12:00 Coffee

12:00–13:00 GERMAN(Chair:RichardOosterhoff)

SundarHenny(UniversityofBern):CallingNames:PunsonProperNamesinEarlyModernZurich

TobiasBulang(UniversityofHeidelberg):“ABookfullofPantagruelisms”–ImagesandEmulationsofIngenuityinJohannFischart'sGermanTranslationofRabelais

13:00–14:00 Lunch

14:00–15:00 FRENCH(Chair:TimChesters)

NicolasKies(centreSaulnier,UniversitéParisIVSorbonne):IsthereaFemininefacetudo?WomenandWordplayinLateSixteenth-CenturyFrenchNarratives

Jean-AlexandrePerras(JesusCollege,UniversityofOxford):TheEquivocalPuninLightofClassicalTheoriesoftheSign

AbstractsLatinRaphaëleGarrod:Daedaliopera:ErasmusonVerbalIngenuityandObscurity

InhisAdages,ErasmusconcludeshissurveyofclassicalreferencestotheDaedalicworksbymentioningboththelogodaedalusasthe‘artificerofpolishedspeech’(Adagia1262),andthePlatonicviewthatpoorargumentsareliketheworksofDaedalus.ThispaperunpacksthisadageinrelationtootherErasmianwritingsonstyle,inparticulartheDeconscribendisepistolis,theDecopiaandtheLingua.Insodoing,itbringsforththeErasmianviewonthemeritsandpitfalls--betheystylistic,philosophical,orultimatelyethical--ofwordplayasaspecificformofverbalobscurity.AnthonyOssaRichardson:ElegantiainEarlyModernCriticismandRhetoric'

Elegantiawasoneofaclusterofearlymoderntermsassociatedwithwitandwordplay;thispaperlooksatitsroleinevaluatingdeliberateambiguityincommentariesonScriptureandclassicalpoetry,includingtextualcriticism;IthenofferadetailedanalysisofitsuseinGerardJanVossius’sCommentariarhetoricaof1606.WhatwefindhereisaforegroundedbutunresolvedtensionbetweentheenjoymentofambiguityandanAristotelianhostilitytoit,atensionsymptomaticofabroadercontrastinearlymodernthought.SpanishRodrigoCacho:Quevedo’sBlackHumor

InhisburlesqueballadBodadenegros[ABlacks'Wedding]FranciscodeQuevedo(1580-1645)displayssomeofthemosttypicaltricks-of-the-trayofBaroqueword-play(puns,equivoques,paronomasia,etc),aswellasunderscoringraciststereotypeswhichwerewidespreadinearlymodernSpain.Quevedo’sparodicdescriptionoftheweddingbetweentwopeopleofAfricanethnicityiswrittenusingoneofthemostpopular

metricalformsofitstime,theSpanishballad,therootsofwhicharefoundinfolkloreandoraltradition.However,allthatseemsconventionalinthispoem,conformingtowellacceptedideologicalandrhetoricaldiscourses,ischallengedbyQuevedo’simaginationandintoxicatingwit.Theauthorpusheshistextbeyondthelimitsofverbalcommunicationbyblurringtheboundariesbetweenthefivesenses.WordplaybecomesthusthekeytoopenaBaroquePandora’sboxwhereresandverbaseemtoquestioneachother,producingatextofharmoniouscontradictions.ChristopherJohnson:Escomohidrabocal:OnwittywordplayinGraciánandGóngora

MypapercomparesthecentralroleingeniouswordplayhasinBaltasarGracián’sAgudezayartedeingenio(1648)withhowLuisdeGóngorasubtlyemploysitintheSoledades(1613).Gracián’sground-breakingtreatisetakeswittywordplayseriously,makingitoneofthecornerstonesofhispoeticsofagudeza(wit)andtheconcepto(conceit).Bygroundingitsdifferentkindsintheintellectualfacultyofingenio(ingenuity),hepromisesasuperiorwayofknowingtheworldandtheself’scontingentrelationstoit.ButGraciánalsounderscoreshowtheinherentlymaterialnatureoflanguageitselfgenerateswit:‘Escomohidrabocalunadicción,puesamásdesupropiaydirectasignificación,silacortanolatranstruecan,decadasílabarenaceunasutilezaingeniosaydecadaacentounconcepto.’This‘hydra’,thesecondpartofmypaperargues,notonlygeneratesallmannerofsubtleexpressioninGóngora’sexperimentalpoems,butitalsoconfirms,inwaysthatGraciánwasneverwillingtoaccept,thatingeniouswordplayneednotalwaysbebriefandcompendious.Instead,throughthesyntacticalthicketsofGóngora’stwolongsilvas,extendedwordplayhelpstoforgeamoreself-referential,anachronic,andexpressivevisionofpoetrythatwouldshakelanguageloosefromitsreferentialorrepresentativetaskand,Iwouldargue,forgeanewkindofreader.

ItalianRayEdwardCarlson:MichelangeloatPlayinWordsandImages

InhisclassicessayThePoetryofMichelangelo,WalterPatersuggestedthatonecouldachieveanintimatefamiliaritywiththeFlorentineartistbyreadinghisverse:‘Itisaconsequenceoftheoccasionalandinformalcharacterofhispoetry,thatitbringsusnearertohimself,hisownmindandtemper,thananyworkdoneonlytosupportaliteraryreputationcouldpossiblydo.’TotheextentthatmanyofthepoemsofMichelangeloBuonarroti(1475-1564)surviveinautographform,sometimesonsheetswithhisdrawings,Paterwasrighttopointtotheuniqueproximitytheygivetothefamedartist'sworkmanship.Nonetheless,composinglyricpoetrywasasocialendeavour.ThepresumedinformalityofsuchsheetsobscuresMichelangelo'sconcerntohonebothhisliteraryreputationandcraft.TreatingMichelangelo’spoemsnotasprivateoutgrowthsofpersonalgeniusbutratherwithinthecontextofaliteraryculturethatdemandedwriterstakesidesincontemporarylinguisticandtextualdebates,thispapershowshowMichelangelonavigatedthisterrainwithrecoursetohisartisticskills.Theproductionoflyricversenecessitatedafamiliaritywithsourcetexts,metricalforms,andpoeticlexicathatMichelangelowouldhaveworkedtoacquire.Michelangelo’sabilitytomanipulateandplaywiththeseconventionsinhispoetrywasaconspicuousmeansofdemonstratinghisliterarywitwithcloseparallelstohisartisticproduction.ThispaperwillscrutinizeaparticularinstancefromMichelangelo’searlierpoeticoutputtoexploretheconstantlychangingrelationshipbetweenhisvisualandliterarygenius.ItaMacCarthy:UntranslatableWit:Ariosto’sInnuendointheHandsofHaringtonandGay

Praisedbyfansforthefertilityofitsingegno,LudovicoAriosto’sOrlandofuriosowassimultaneouslycriticisedbydetractorsforbeingderivativeanddipocoingegno.Defendingthepoetagainstthosewhoaccusehimoflackingwitandofstealinghisideasfromothers,nearcontemporaryLodovicoDolcepointedoutthatimitationisthemainstayofgoodpoetryandthatpartofAriosto’sgeniusliesinhisabilitytoplunderthe

hiveofantiquitytobringforthnewsweetness.TheFiordispinaepisodeofcantos22and25providesoneamongstmanyparadigmaticexamplesbothofAriosto’singeniousappropriationofhissourcesandtalentfororiginalwitandwordplay.Followingabriefclosereadingofsomeofitsmostinventiveandwittymoments,mypaperwillhighlightthechallengesposedfortranslatorsintoEnglishbythemetaphors,puns,innuendoandrisquésimilesinwhichtheFiordispinaepisodeabounds.FocusingontranslationsbySirJohnHarington(1591)andJohnGay(c.1720),inparticular,IexaminetheingegnorequiredtoensureAriosto’soriginalwitcontinuestohititsmark.EnglishWillPoole:LogicalFallacyandSomeSeventeenthCenturyPoetry

Thispaper,drawingonpreviousworkontheroleofrhetoricalvicesinearlymodernpoetictheoryandpractice,willextendthatideaintotheareaoflogic.Studentswereasversedinthevicesoflogicastheywereinthevicesofstyle,perhapsmoreso,andyetcriticismtendstofocusonrhetoricmorethanlogic.Thispaperwillreviewtheoriesoflogicalfallacyintheperiodandthenseektoapplysomeoftheseconclusionstoexamplesofpoeticpractice,chieflyfromacademiccentres.KathrynMurphy:Quips,Quibbles,andConundrums:EarlyModernPunsandScholasticStyle.

WritingintheSpectatoronThursday,11May,1711,JosephAddisonclaimedthat‘theAgeinwhichthePunnchieflyflourished,wastheReignofKingJamestheFirst’.Theironyofthisassertion,asiswellknown,isthattheJacobeanpunwasflourishingavantlalettre:theOED’searliestcitationofthewordisfrom1644.Initsplace,ElizabethanandJacobeanEnglishwritersusedavarietyofwordstorefertowittyword-play,andtheexploitationofdoublemeaning:quips,quibbles,conundrums,clinches,andequivocation,alongsidethetechnicalrhetoricaltermsofparonomasia,antanaclasis,andotherfiguresofresemblanceandrepetition.Thispaperexplorestheuseandoriginsofearlymodernterminologyofpunning,andthewaysinwhichtheapplicationoftheseterms,oftenduringinvectiveandpamphletcontroversy,involved

implicitaccusationsofassociationwithRomanCatholicism,scholasticphilosophy,oratleasttheopacityofpedanticfustian.InsodoingIwillsuggestwaysinwhichattitudestoconfessionalismandeducationcouldbeexpressedasobjectionstolanguageandstyle,inwayswhichhaveramificationsforthedevelopmentofideasoftasteandtheliteraryacrosstheseventeenthcentury.DavidFrancisTaylor:PuzzlePictures:TheArrivaloftheSatiricalRebusinBritain.

ThispaperfocusesonthefirstsatiricalrebusespublishedinBritainbetween1700and1710.ItwilltracethetraditionbacktoRomeinthe1570sandGermanyintheearly17thcentury;considerwhythiskindofpictographicsatiresuddenlymadeanappearanceinthefirstdecadeofthe18thcenturyinBritain;andbrieflyconcludebynotinghowandwhythismodeofsatirecomestobetakenupasanoppositiondiscourseinthe1740s-60s.GermanTobiasBulang:“ABookfullofPantagruelisms”–ImagesandEmulationsofIngenuityinJohannFischart'sGermanTranslationofRabelais.

TheAlsatianauthorJohannFischart(1541–1591)translatedFrançoisRabelais’GargantuaintoGerman(Geschichtklitterung1575;1582;1590).Indoingso,headdedcopiousmaterialandcountlessechoesofhisowntimeandcontexttotheFrenchoriginal.WithaclearnotionofwhatRabelais’ingeniouspoetryentailed,thetranslatoraimedtodeliverevenmoreexamplesofwitandwordplay,thusenlargingRabelais’novelbymorethanonethird.Fischart’ssocalled‘Pantagruelisms’emulateRabelaisingenuity.Hisparodyisaccompaniedbyreflexive,poeticcomments,anddisplaysoverwroughtusesoftheGermanlanguage.

SundarHenny:Name-Calling:PunsonProperNamesinEarlyModernZurich

NamesmatteredintheearlymodernStateofZurich.Coatsofarmswereomnipresentintherepublicandameansforrisingfamiliestofashionthemselvesasnoble.Bywayoffolketymology,propernamesprovidedtheimageryforsuchheraldry.Incongratulatorypoems,propernamescouldhelptoconsolidatepower,asdignitarieswerepraisedforthevirtuestheirnamesevoked.ThemayorSalomonHirzel,forexample,washailedasawisekingandemblematisedasaHirsch(deer),aheraldicbeastthatsuggestedbothpietyandnobility.Thatnameswerenotjustunderstoodascontingentornominalcanbeseenalsobythefactthathistoriansofthetimethoughtthataperson’snomenetomenwerethenaturalstartingpointofeverybiography.Whileitwasdangeroustomakefunofthepoliticalorderandreligion,themeanstosafeguardthemcouldbeplayful.Especiallyduringtheseventeenthcenturychronograms,palindromes,andKabbalah-inspirednotationsofnamesabounded.EventhoughZurichhadnouniversitythebiblicalandclassicallanguageswerestudiedandtaughtonafairlyhighlevel.Accordingly,manyofthemoreelaboratepunswereauthoredbythepolyglotclergy.Theclergywouldalsomakeuseofpunsinconfessionalcontroversiesandtherebycontinueatraditionthatwasthrivingalreadyinthesixteenthcentury.French

NicolasKies:IsthereaFemininefacetudo?WomenandWordplayinLateSixteenth-CenturyFrenchNarratives.

Bycoiningtheneologismfacetudoinhis1509Desermone,thehumanistscholarGiovanniPontanoattemptedtodefinefacetiouswit,characterizedbyone'sabilitytoutterjokesandenliventheconversation.Afundamentallymasculineability,theartofjoking(mottegiare)isexploitedbywomen,particularlyincourtly,politetraditions(Castiglione,Guazzo).Yetinlatesixteenth-centuryFrenchnarrativesandcollectionsofpunsandjokes,womenareusuallyexcludedfromtheframingconversations(DuFail,Cholières,Poissenot).

Asprotagonistsinthefables,theirutterancesarelesssubtlepunsthancomicalnaiveties,oftenintendedtofuelironicallythefacetiousverveofmen.InlightofEtienneTabourot'sEscraignesdijonnoises(1588),thispaperwillsketchthelineamentsandexploretheaporiasoffemininefacetudoinitsattempttorivalmen'sspeechwhileremainingmediatedbyit.Jean-AlexandrePerras:TheEquivocalPuninLightofClassicalTheoriesoftheSign.

IntheFrenchclassicalperiod,equivocationhasbeenconsideredbothasa(bad)poeticfigureandadefectinherentintheverynatureoflanguage,consideredasarepresentationoftheideasinthemind.Alsocalled‘amphibology’,itisaviciousconstruction,which,deliberatelyornot,playswiththeambiguityofwhatwecancallthe‘mediality’oflanguage:therichlyimperfectmaterialityofitsproduction.WhereaseveryFrenchgrammarrecallsthedangersofequivocation(especiallythePortRoyal’sLogique,oul’artdepenser),manycritiqueslikeBoileaucondemnthebadtaste(andmores)connotedbyitspoeticuses.Inbothcases,whatisatstakeistheimpossibletransparencyofthesign,supposedtolimpidlyrefertoasingleandclearidea(cf.LouisMarin).Equivocalpunsthereforechallengetheclassicaltheoryofthesign:equivocationisconsideredasatensionwhichneedstoberesolvedinacomprehension/disambiguationprocess.Evenamongtheoreticianswhoarerelativelyopenedtoshimmering,ingeniouswordplays-likeDominiqueBouhoursinhis1685LaManièredebienpenserdanslesouvragesd’esprit-equivocationssomehowmaskasingularideawhichneedstobeclarifiedanduncovered.Thesetheories,however,donotappreciatethefullextentofequivocationswhichisatstakeinsomepoeticpracticeslikethatofCyranodeBergeracforinstance,whoseworksexploitthe‘poietical’potentialofthisingeniousfigure.Languageisameetingspace,notonlybecauseitallowspeopletocommunicate,butalsobecauseitsmedialityallowsnewideastoemerge,inwhatwascalledarencontre<encounter>.Thistalkwilltrytounderstandwhatparticulartruthisincidentallydiscoveredduringthisprocess.

Notes

Notes

Ove è Amore è fedeltà

(Where there is love, there is fidelity)

Amor solicito e segreto (Solicitous Love is secret)

dove è Amore è gelosia (Wherever there is Love, there is jealousy)

Amore è cieco e vede di lontano (Love is blind and sees from afar)

Amore passa il guanto e l ’acqua li stivali (Love passes the glove and water passes the boots)

Amor, Amore tu sei la mia rovina (Love, you are my ruin).