Truth in Translation? Claiming the rights of Mary, Queen of Scots in English and French
(2013) Bonds, Lies, and Circumstances: Discourses of Truth-Telling in the Renaissance — Location: University of St Andrews, School of English (21.March.2013)
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- (en) To draw the line between truth and lies in matters related to Mary Stuart still remains a major challenge. During her troubled lifetime, an army of polemical documents either defended her rights or accused her of the vilest crimes, depending on the author's political and religious sympathies. Questions on truth, authenticity and authority lie at the core of their rhetoric, where authors' ideological stance deeply influences the image they shape of the Scottish queen. In A defence of the honour of the right highe, mightye and noble Princesse Marie Quene of Scotlande (1569), the Catholic John Leslie argues for the legitimacy of Mary Stuart’s claims to the English crown, using a wide range of rhetorical figures in support of his legal arguments. As Latin and French translations of his treatise were soon published, issues of authenticity and authorship were further complicated. Is the – supposed – stability of the notion of truth endangered in translation? By means of a comparison between the source text and its French translation (1587) , this paper will explore how law and truth interact – especially in translation, and how (far) truth-telling discourse and translation may accommodate a space for fiction.
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Hancisse, N. (2013). Truth in Translation? Claiming the rights of Mary, Queen of Scots in English and French. Bonds, Lies, and Circumstances: Discourses of Truth-Telling in the Renaissance, University of St Andrews, School of English. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/44350