Facétieuse Nomerfide

Abstract:

This article proposes an in-depth analysis of the character of Nomerfide, one of the devisants in L’Heptaméron, by examining her from the perspective of facetiousness. She is shown at the heart of the narrative device of conversion of tears into laughter, specific to this book, which gives this character a very special place even though she is the youngest and the most playful of the devisants. Nomerfide is analyzed first of all as a storyteller whose stories are distinguished by their brevity and their playful dimension, which must be interpreted in the light of the awareness of the ephemeral character of all things. Endowed with great talents as a storyteller, Nomerfide deploys a vast palette of narrative strategies and comic effects because she wants to fight melancholy and make the good company gathered in Sarrance laugh. On the other hand, Nomerfide does not hesitate to quarrel with the male devisants or to make her voice heard on male violence and on hypocrisy in relationships between men and women. She also openly endorses female desire and pleasure and defends marriages based on love matches. The article shows that Nomerfide, although facetious because she embodies spontaneity, sincerity and naturalness, is also capable of profound words, including religious ones, thus embodying the liberating power of speech.