"Forgier fins besans". Le Songe du Vieil Pelerin de Philippe de Mézières (1389): projet sotériologique et pouvoir de l'écriture à la fin du XIVème siècle.

This research presents a thorough study on the Songe du Vieil Pelerin focused on four aspects: the complex structure of the allegorical-didactic journey described by Philippe de Mezieres; the internal coherence and cohesion that contribute to the unity of the text; the use of sources and the critical reception by Mezieres' contemporaries. From a general standpoint, the main goal of this research is to clarify the inner workings of Mezieres' creative endeavour, in order to better understand the place of the Songe in the literary context of the late fourteenth century. The research begins with a detailed analysis of the prologue, where Mezieres provides the keys to understand his work and organizes its reasoning on the problem of truth, distinguishing between a spiritual, moral, and verbal truth. This analysis marks the way of the pilgrim – the Songe main character – throughout Mezieres' work, both in the story and in the frequent didactical digressions. When the pilgrim's path ends, the rethorical model that underlies the entire work is explained with the help of the concepts of polémique and pénitence, to show how Mezieres conceives his work as a first step in the way of a social and spiritual renewal.