Idle Pursuits: Literature and Oisivete in the French Renaissance

Krause (French studies, Brown U.) explores the idle pursuits of the nobility in Renaissance France. Drawing upon the insights of social theory, she examines the concept of idleness found in literary masterpieces such as Le Roman de la Rose and Les Essais as well as less familiar texts including conduct books and personal letters. Throughout the study, Krause shows how idleness was an important source of symbolic social capital. Distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR