StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The Heptameron, written by the Marguerite de Navarre in the sixteenth century, is today considered one of the treasured products of the French Renaissance. It gives an accurate picture of the condition of life in those times, and is as valued for this portariture as any other philosophical or literary aspect…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.6% of users find it useful
The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre"

Download file to see previous pages

Also, blood was considered the main humor out of the four, the three others being phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile, and a fine balance between all four was necessary in an individual's body in order to ensure good health. Different blood vessels were linked with different organs: the vein in the right hand was linked to the liver, and blood was drained from it in case of liver disorders, as we see in the instance of Jean-Pierre: the doctors, "seeing his face had gone yellow, considered he was suffering from an obstruction in the liver, and prescribed a bleeding.

" The lovelorn man's jaundiced skin is interpreted as a liver disease, and much unlike the modern times where liver diseases are variously classified into strains of hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer or hemachromatosis and so on, and are treated accordingly, the hapless man is prescribed bloodletting.What is worse, the doctor does not do a good job of bandaging the wound and the man himself ignores its importane, resulting in the bandage coming off and his untimely death through excessive blood loss.

This presents a picture of medicine in sharp contrast to modern times, because of its generalised and careless nature. In the story of "A nasty breakfast given to an advocate and a gentleman by an apothecary's man", the narrator describes the apothecary's man picking up a "sir reverence" which is nothing but a subtle way of naming human excrement in polite company, according to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose. The standards of hygiene in a society where human faeces are to be found lying around frozen on the road definitely need much to be desired.

The practice of defecating in the open prevalent probably due to lack of adequate sanitary arrangements and accurate information on the spread of harmful germs, surely posed a threat to the well being of the citizens as it could spread infections.These standards of hygiene were one of the main reasons for the spread of diseases in the form of epidemics across Europe in those times.In the story of "A woman gives her husband powder of cantharides to make him love her, and goes near to killing him", we see the superstitions that have traditionally surrounded the reported properties of aphrodisiacs.

The "cantharides" are nothing but a mixture commonly known through the centuries as "Spanish fly". It is known to be a substance made from powdered beetles from the southern part of Europe. To an extent, it simulates arousal by irritating the urogenital tract and causing the genital organs to burn, swell and itch.It is not recommended in modern times because it can cause pain, nausea, vomiting, and in case of excessive dosage, even death.Aphrodisiacs hold their fascination even today from supplements to sexual vitality like Arginine, Fenugreek, Sho wu, Lychii fruit and Ginseng to exotic substances like tiger bones and rhinoceros horn.

Modern science has yet to prove the efficacy of most of them, but the craze to acquire potency continues in the human mind.Substances like viagra have come to the aid of those with erectile dsyfunction, and phermones are peddled for their aphrodisiac properties, but as the story illustrates, the rampant and unthinking use of such substances can only do more harm than good.In the story where a woman at the point of death flew into such a violent passion at seeing her

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1527222-the-heptameron-by-marguerite-de-navarre
(The Heptameron by Marguerite De Navarre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
The Heptameron by Marguerite De Navarre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/literature/1527222-the-heptameron-by-marguerite-de-navarre.
“The Heptameron by Marguerite De Navarre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1527222-the-heptameron-by-marguerite-de-navarre.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre

Gallery Report: the Portrait of Marguerite de Sve

The researcher focuses on the analyzing of the portrait of marguerite de Sève, that shows a woman who in very expensive attire.... The portrait of marguerite de Seve portrays two main meanings to the viewers.... The portrait describes marguerite de Seve holding a book with her left hand thus playing the lines in the song which was termed as a drinking song thus shows that she was excited (Eisner 20).... In the Portrait of marguerite de Seve, the elements of art were well balanced to bring out the intended background as well as bring out the message of the time....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Aporia of Transcendence: a Critical Discussion of Michael Sells Analysis

hellip; In his discourse, Sells determines that several of the most notable mystical authors, including marguerite Porete and Jalaluddin Rumi, use similar dialectical reasoning in their inscriptions.... As Michael Sells comments, Mystic writers like Jalaluddin Rumi and marguerite Porete did not aim to illustrate a specific type of experience.... In contrast, marguerite Porete believed that mystical pre-eminence could only be arrived at through the "Annihilation of the Soul....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Humor in Social Critique on Sexual Morality in The Heptameron

The paper "Humor as a Form of Social Critique on Sexual Morality in the heptameron by marguerite of Navarre" presents the use of laughter in moral lessons in the collection of 72 short stories of Marguerite of Navarre.... navarre used humor to construct and comment upon the different comical, moral situations that perplex humans when they get involved in situations that compromise their sexual moralities.... navarre used the woman's servant to show the serving lady's critique on her mistress' sexual morality when she wrote; 'The good woman felt sorry for him (Du Mesnil)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Book Report/Review

Compare and/or contrast the mysticism of Marguerite Porete and The Heart and the Fountain

One crucial difference between the Jewish texts and the form of mysticism presented by marguerite is that, the Jewish version involved a lengthy process whereby an individual was required to prepare and purify oneself.... In analyzing the mysticism in marguerite's work and its similarity of difference… According to Dan (20), mysticism is a strong religious belief that cannot be expressed in words or periods. marguerite was assassinated because she wrote a book pointing out that a soul Comparison of the mysticism of marguerite Porete and The Heart and the Fountain On June 1310, marguerite Porete was burnt in the fires of Paris because she was believed to be a heretic....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

To Marguerite Continued

The author of the current work "To marguerite Continued" explains that the meaning of the poem is established by contrasting images of connection and separation.... One of the themes of the poem is that people are essentially alone, but long for a connection with each other....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Woman and Economics

The story of marguerite Johnson as depicted by Angelou's book 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' is not just an interesting piece of autobiography spiced up with a literary appeal.... marguerite can walk out of Mrs.... marguerite is a representative of them....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Gender and Power Dynamic in The Lover by Marguerite Duras

The author of this paper explores the gender and power dynamic in “The Lover" authored by marguerite Duras revealed through the emotions and experiences of the narrator as she interacts with others surrounding her both in France Indochina and France.... nbsp;… “The Lover" by marguerite Duras is an autobiographical novel that recounts the author's experience in the French Indochina before moving back to France in her later life....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Important Details of Life and Work of Marguerite Duras

The Existentialism movement was started by Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus.... The paper focuses on marguerite who is considered as an important writer and a film director because her novels brought out her literature manner that had a beautiful prose style.... marguerite Duras grew up in very poor family background.... The extreme poverty situation that the family went through is later reflected in marguerite's life and work....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us