Pastourelle Narratives of Sexual Violence and Consent in Middle French and Middle Dutch Printed Popular Song

Abstract

Abstract This article examines late-medieval reconfigurations of the pastourelle in Middle French and Middle Dutch popular printed song. While the French courtly pastourelle, preserved in manuscripts intended for aristocratic audiences, has often been read as both a critique and a reinforcement of courtly codes of conduct, the genre acquired new meanings in the widely circulating printed books that reached the more socially diverse publics of late medieval cities. To enable the study of these divergent messages across divers cultural contexts, this article proposes conceptualizing the pastourelle not as a literary genre but as a recurrent narrative. This approach allows for a broader understanding of the tradition, in which the pastourelle narrative functioned as a familiar framework for exploring themes of power and gender in various ways, while also absorbing influences from contemporary song traditions. As a result, this article demonstrates how printed popular songs diverge from the courtly paradigm of class conflict, reshaping the pastourelle narrative to articulate both restrictive and empowering messages concerning sexual violence, justice and consent, particularly addressed to female audiences.