Machaut and the Medieval Apprenticeship Tradition ― Truth, Fiction and Poetic Craft

Guillaume de Machaut was celebrated in the later Middle Ages as a supreme poet and composer, and accordingly, his poetry was recommended as a model for aspiring poets. In his 'Voir dit, toute belle', a young, aspiring poet, convinces the Machaut figure to mentor her. This volume examines 'Toute belle' as she masters Machaut's dual arts of poetry and love, focusing on her successful apprenticeship in these arts; it also provides a thorough review of Machaut's art of love and art of poetry in his dits and lyricsm, and the previous scholarship on these topics. It goes on to treat Machaut's legacy among poets who, like 'Toute belle', adapted his poetic craft in new and original ways. A concluding analysis of melodie identifies the synaesthetic pleasure that late medieval poets, including Machaut, offer their readers.