This dissertation concerns the role of ghostly figures inspired by Homeric ‘eidola’ in Pierre de Ronsard’s poetic works. I argue that, although Ronsard’s poetry is concerned with expressions of death and decay, ghostly apparitions named ‘idoles’ propose a reflection on fiction, humour and illusion. Through a selection of emblematic texts, this work proposes a new reading of Ronsard’s poetic ghosts highlighting their irony which reveals the paradoxes underpinning early modern discourses on French origins, national identity and religion. By representing ghosts, Ronsard enters in a dialogue with his contemporaries and engages in a broader discussion about the effects of ghostly illusions: the dissertation therefore also includes a discussion of texts written by Du Bellay, La Gessée, Des Masures and Protestant pamphleteers in response to Ronsard.

This dissertation is structured in two main sections with chapter subdivisions. In section A ‘Epic Ghosts in Ronsard’s Poetry’, I analyse epic idoles in the ‘Ode de la Paix au roy’ (1550), the Franciade (1572) and the lyric (1552-1578). In Section B ‘Complicit Fictions: Daimons an Allegories’, I study ghosts in the Hymnes (1555-1556) in light of the paradigm of the epic simulacrum identified in the first chapter by showing how the introduction of ghosts in genres such as hymnic poems can be blended with comic undertones. Drawing on the humorous identity of ghostly illusions, I finally turn to the irony underpinning ghostly apparitions featuring in the ‘Elegie à Loïs des Masures’ (1560) and the Discours des Misères de ce temps (1561-1563).