University of California Press Imaging Aristotle – Verbal & Visual Representation in Fourteenth–Century France

Nicole Oresme's translation of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, and Economics" into French from Latin in the 1370s is the subject of this book. Intended for an audience of Charles V, his counsellors, and high-ranking lay people, these manuscripts are significant for their linguistic and political implications, for moving Aristotle's work beyond clerical and university boundaries, and for reflecting the dynamics of monarchic control of French language and culture. Sherman shows the importance of Oresme's role as translator and book designer. She also explores the gender and class representations in the imagery, relating them not only to the views of Oresme and his audience but also to the contemporary-secular culture.