medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Doctissimi,
In the opening tome of Zola's _Les Rougon-Macquart_, there is a former
cemetery located in the "aire Saint-Mittre." I'm wondering if this is a name
Zola invented or if there is some obscure saint whose name could possibly be
rendered "Mittre" in French. A search of the Cath. En. turned up nothing but
"mitre" and a search of saints' names was equally fruitless. I'm currently
writing a review of a book on Zola and any assistance on this would be
helpful.
Here is a description of how Saint-Mittre figures in the novel:
"Zola donne pour cadre [du roman] la campagne de Plassans et l'aire
Saint-Mittre, extraordinaire cimetière désaffecté."
As you see, the name is applied to a former cemetery. As an aside (and
linking this query somewhat to medieval religion), I'll note that in the
opening scene, youngsters are stealing pears from trees that grow "over the
bones." I do wonder if Zola was in any way acquainted with Augustine's
writings or if this element was completely fortuitous.
MG
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