Le théâtre du sang

"From the second half of the 16th century in the personal reign of Louis XIV, clandestine duels multiply in France and their proliferation gives rise to a vast written production. On the one hand, the authors attached to aristocratic values ​​try to persuade the royal authority to re-establish an authorized duel. On the other hand, magistrates and men of the Church propose to inflict infamous sentences on combatants. In this work, we show, by examining the reference systems called upon in these texts, that the reflection on the duel is articulated around a heroic and theatrical imagination, mobilized by the authors of each position according to their interests. Through a set of recurring figures - figures that crystallize a series of key notions at the heart of the intellectual debate on single combat." -- Google translation of back cover.