Only a Mild Spring Fever

What did French noblemen do in the 18th century when they found the law, which their fathers and grandfathers had practiced, rather dull? They became writers. And, in the case of Claude-Joseph Dorat (1734-1780), admittedly not a very successful one. Although he was well-known as an author of numerous plays during his lifetime, today, no one cares two hoots about his literary creations anymore. Unless, of course, they are as beautifully illustrated as this edition of his collection of poems entitled Les Baisers (En.: Kisses).

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Of Famous and Less Famous People

Just like the author, the illustrator of this book also belongs to the category of artists who are well-known enough to be honoured with a short Wikipedia entry but not well-known enough for one to be able to find out much more about their life and work than some basic information. His name is Umberto Brunelleschi (1879-1949), and he was an Italian illustrator, printer and costume designer who lived in Paris for a long time and is said to have designed costumes for Josephine Baker. As an illustrator, he embellished – among others – books by Voltaire (the cynical Enlightenment philosopher), Charles Perrault (the French collector of fairy tales from whom the Brothers Grimm borrowed a lot of material) and Denis Diderot (the famous encyclopaedist and revolutionary). As you can see, the fame of the authors by far exceeds that of the illustrator. But that doesn’t matter – after all, you don’t always need a big name to produce an interesting piece of art.

What Brunelleschi colourfully sets the scene for here are poems about “Kisses” and “the Month of May.” Love poems that are not addressed to a specific person but celebrate love itself. For example, there is a “Hymn to the Kiss”, poems about a lover’s madness, jealousy and ecstasy. In terms of literary style, the whole thing isn’t very original. Dorat – like many of his 18th-century colleagues – rather conventionally works his way through the catalogue of Greek mythological figures and stories. You would have had to wait a little longer for the Romantics to write much better love poetry!

The Merry Month of May

So much for love. But what about the month of May? Well, as we all know, spring is a good time to fall in love. Everything sprouts and flourishes, flowers spread an enchanting scent, nature’s and man’s juices start to flow, the entire season is an aphrodisiac. Many poets throughout history have set their love poetry in this season, like Thomas Dekker in his “The Merry Month of May”. Similar to Botticelli’s famous allegorical painting of spring, fauns, dryads, nymphs and other forest and water spirits cavort in Dorat’s poems. However, there is one key difference: at the centre of Botticelli’s painting is Venus, the goddess of love – the centre of Dorat’s poems is Thaïs. A prostitute.

A Quick Guide to (Historical) Prostitutes

Thaïs of Athens was a famous Greek hetaira from the 4th century BC. Legend has it that she was a mistress of Alexander the Great and incited him to burn down the Persian royal palace in Persepolis during his Persian campaign – however, historians are unable to verify this claim. Later she became a popular character in artistic and literary works, for example in Dante’s Divine Comedy.

But what is a hetaira? In ancient times, hetairai were female prostitutes who were highly educated in the fields of art, culture and philosophy, and could dance and play instruments. Engaging with them was socially accepted, indeed, for a time there even was a prostitution tax in Athens bearing the wonderful name pornikon telos. And if this sounds somewhat familiar: such women, of course, did not only exist in antiquity, and they did not only exist in Greece. In France they were called mistresses, in Italy and France courtesans and in Japan geishas. And that was the quick guide to prostitutes.

There’s just one thing left to say: Dorat’s poems are not very erotic when you compare them to other popular poems of this kind, such as the “Erotic Sonnets” that are said to be written by Friedrich Schlegel. (Footnote: it’s almost certain that they weren’t written by Schlegel but by one Alexander Bessmertny.) These sonnets are rather explicit and anything but chaste. Genitals, bodily fluids, orgasms and sex practices are described in a very, well, how shall I put it... direct way. Perhaps “Pornographic Sonnets” would have been a more appropriate title. In contrast, Dorat’s spring fever is truly mild.

Other Things You Might Be Interested in:

Here you can find a digitized version of the almost complete text of Les Baisers (in French).

If you don’t quite remember who did what with whom and where in ancient times, Hederich’s “Mythologisches Lexicon” will refresh your memory.

Not new but always beautiful: Vivaldi’s Primavera from his Four Seasons.

And if you’re ready to find the love of your life, click here to read Thomas Dekker’s Merry Month of May.

If you’d rather read something contemporary: the Scottish writer Ali Smith published a highly-praised novel tetralogy dedicated to the four seasons between 2016 and 2020. Here you can read a review of her novel ‘Spring’ by the New York Times.