Pierre de Ronsard 1524 – 1585
Gordon 1550 .R65
Les Quatre premiers livres des odes de Pierre de Ronsard,
Vandomois; Ensemble son Bocage , Paris, G.
Cavellat, 1550.
With this first major collection of poems, Pierre de Ronsard hopes
to become celebrated and influential at the court of Henri II. He also
intends to be recognized as the leader of a new generation of poets,
known as the “Brigade” (eventually becoming the “Pléïade”),
who wants to transform French poetry into a very humanistic poetry
in themes and style. Other poets in this group include Joachim
Du Bellay and Jean-Antoine
de Baïf.
 The 1550
volume by Ronsard represents the most accomplished
example of the antique and lyrical ode written in
the vernacular. Three texts of introduction precede
the five sections of poems (4 “books” or “Livres” of regular odes with
an appendix of more irregular ones, the “Bocage”): first, the preface, “Au
Lecteur,” then an “Avertissement au Lecteur,” and finally, in some
copies of the edition, the “Suravertissement au Lecteur.” In each of
them, and particularly in the first two, Ronsard
develops his conception of the sublime in the lyrical genre and his “theology” of
poetry. In the third one, he defends himself against criticism made
by his opponents at the court. This short defense indicates that Ronsard
was under attack, which is no surprise when we note the astonishingly
aggressive tone he used in the preface, “Au Lecteur,” to describe his
poetic enterprise.
The copy of the 1550 edition of the Odes in
the Gordon Collection does not have the third introductory
text, which seems to indicate that this copy belongs
to the first state or “family” of
the editio
princeps (see J.-P. Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique:
Ronsard , Genève, Droz, 1990, p.20-22.)
Originally from the Henri Burton, Abel Lefranc and Lardanchet Collections,
this copy is elegantly bound and bears the bookplate of Douglas Gordon.
Materials on this page were generously contributed by François
Rouget, Queens University , Kingston , Ontario (2004)
INTERNET RESOURCES
Pierre de Ronsard: Bibliographie sommaire (Littérature) --
brief Ronsard bibliography prepared by Marie-Luce Demonet for the Agrégation
de letters modernes et classiques, 2002.
http://193.52.215.193/sfdes/sfdes/Odesbibcourte.htm
Les Odes révisées sur les editions originales, publiées
sur Epistemon (first four books of the odes transcribed, on the Epistemon
site of the Centre des Etudes Supérieures de la Renaissance) –
http://www.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Epistemon/cornucopie/Cornuc.asp
SIXTEENTH-CENTURY EDITIONS OF RONSARD IN THE GORDON COLLECTION
Note that most of the polemical works have been digitized and are
available on the Ronsard page in the section on the
French Wars of Religion.
Gordon 1549 .R65 no.1 L'hymne de
France
Gordon 1549 .R65 no.2 Ode de la
paix
Gordon 1550 .R65 Les quatre premiers
liures des odes de Pierre de Ronsard, Vandomois. ; Ensemble son Bocage
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.1 Le bocage
de P. de Ronsard Vandomoys
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.2 Les
quatre premiers liures des odes de P. de Ronsard Vandomois
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.3 Le cinqieme
des odes de P. de Ronsard, augmente. : Ensemble la harangue que fît
monseigneur le Duc de Guise aus Soudars de Mez le iour qu'il pensoit
auoir l'assaut
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.4 Les amours
de P. de Ronsard Vandomois
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.5 Les meslanges
de P. de Ronsard
Gordon 1554 .R65 no.6 Continuation
des Amours de P. de Ronsard Vandomois
Gordon 1558 .R65 Ronsardi exhortatio
ad milites Gallos
Gordon 1559 .R65 Discours a treshault
et trespuissant prince, Monseigneur le Duc de Sauoye. ; Chant pastoral
a Madame Marquerite, Duchesse de Sauoye. ; Plus, XXIIII inscriptions
en faueur de quelques grands seigneurs, lesquelles deuoyent seruir
en la comedie, qu'on esperoit representer en la maison de Guise par
le commandement de Monseigneur le Reuerendissime Cardinal de Lorraine
Gordon 1563 .R65b no.1 Discours
des misères de ce temps
Gordon 1563 .R65b no.2 Continuation
du Discours des miseres de ce temps
Gordon 1563 .R65 Discours des misères
de ce temps
Gordon 1563 .R66 Institution pour
l'adolescence du roy treschrestien Charles neufuiesme de ce nom
Gordon 1563 .R67 Remonstrance au
peuple de France
Gordon 1563 .R67b Remonstrance au
peuple de France
Gordon 1563 .R656 Elegie de P. de
Ronsard Vandomois, sur les troubles d'Amboise, mil cinq cens soixante
Gordon 1563 .R656b Elegie de P.
de Ronsard Vandomois, sur les troubles d'Amboise, 1560
Gordon 1564 .R65 Institution pour
l'adolescence du roy treschrestien Charles neufiesme de ce nom
Gordon 1568 .R65 Epitaphes par P.
de Ronsard gentilhomme Vandomois, & autres doctes personnages
sur le tombeau de haut & puissant seigneur. Anne duc de Mommorancy
pair, et connestable de France
Gordon 1572 .R65 Les quatre premiers
liure de la Franciade
Gordon 1574 .R65 Le tombeau du feu Roy tres-chrestien
Charles Neufiesme, Prinde [sic] tres-debonnaire,
tres-vertueux & tres-eloquent
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