The Subject of Desire: Petrarchan Poetics and the Female Voice in Louise Labe (Purdue Studies in Romance Literature)

In her broad-ranging volume of prose and poetic works, the French Renaissance poet Louise Labe transforms the position of woman in Renaissance discourse from an object to a subject of erotic and artistic desire. Baker highlights Labe's revision of Petrarchan poetics and her creation of an original voice in the evolution of the French Renaissance lyric.

"Through a series of sophisticated readings of Labe's complete works, Baker examines the strategies Labe uses to reflect her various poses as a desiring female subject. In addition to being a subtle reader of Labe's text, Baker demonstrates a thorough knowledge of Renaissance criticism as well as modern literary theory. Her genuine love for Labe's poetry is moving, but her critical acumen is equally impressive". -- Francois Rigolot, Princeton University