Hélisenne de Crenne: a sixteenth century modern

The purpose of this study was to become acquainted with the works of the neglected Hélisenne de Crenne, a sixteenth century French authoress. An investigation of the study of her life yielded few facts. It was discovered, however, that Helisenne de Crenne is a pseudonym for Marguerite Briet.

Since the author is not widely known, a plot summary was included of her works Les Angoysses Douloureuses, Les Epistres Familieres et Invectives, and Le Songe. The analysis of the works was only concerned with Part I of the novel, several selected Epistres, and one passage from Le Songeas these parts were personally evaluated as the most important.

The analysis of the works included a study of Helisenne's attitudes towards life, her art of writing, and how she fits into the framework of literature. Included in her attitudes were those about religion, education, and particularly the position of women in society. A study of her manner of writing found the dominant characteristics to be realism, psychology, and a personal viewpoint. To determine her place in literature, comparisons were made with works from the Middle Ages, the sixteenth century and later centuries.

The conclusion was to determine the validity of studying Hélisenne's works. It was decided that they would be most valuable to today's readers if presented in an extract form.