![\"Paris,](\"http:\/\/everycodextellsastory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/export-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Paris, BNF, fr. 837, f. 1ra
Reproduced by courtesy of Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France: http:\/\/gallica.bnf.fr\/?lang=EN<\/p><\/div>\n
It is not unusual in medieval manuscripts for the first initial to be bigger and more embellished than the rest. As we discuss\u00a0here<\/a>,\u00a0the image in this historiated initial\u00a0(?<\/a>) could offer information about the codex’s original patron.<\/p>\n However, it also poses an interesting question of textual interpretation.<\/p>\n Does this mean that the first text is particularly important or significant? Should we consider it as having a higher status than the other texts in the manuscript?<\/p>\n Some critics, such as Yasmina Foehr-Janssens<\/a>, have argued that the Dit du Barisel<\/em>\u00a0can be seen as a matrix text for the whole codex: all the other texts in the manuscript should be seen through the lens of this one text, and interpreted in its light.\u00a0In other words, it becomes the key to understanding this diverse and wide-ranging codex, and represents a microcosm of the whole book.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Dit du Barisel <\/em>recounts the transformation of a unrepentant reprobate into a pious and humble man.\u00a0There are many other stories in the codex that share the same themes of confession, repentance and the rehabilitation of sinners. Indeed, the first stories in the collection of works by Rutebeuf share these themes. Skip to our spotlight on\u00a0Rutebeuf<\/a>\u00a0to find out more.<\/p>\n Like the\u00a0Dit du Barisel<\/em>, the majority of items in BNF, fr. 837 are relatively short. This has left scholars wondering if the codex was intended to be a manuscript of short texts. You can find out more about the question of length in BNF, fr. 837 by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first text of BNF fr. 837 has a more elaborately decorated\u00a0initial than the other texts in the codex. It is not unusual in medieval manuscripts for the first initial to be bigger and more embellished than the rest. As … Continue reading