Making Flowers Speak: Petrarch and Idiorrhythmy

This article brings Petrarch’s (1304–74) lyric poetry into dialogue with Barthes’s notion of “idiorrythmie” (idiorrhythmy) as outlined in his lecture course Comment vivre ensemble (How to Live Together). It explores both the idiorrhythmic aspects Petrarchan desire and traits utterance through which they are expressed, a focus on canzone 126 Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (Fragments Vernacular Things). The begins study exposition idiorrhythmy: its medieval origins monastic communities Mount Athos productively unstable improvised character “living together,” apart, that it implies. Most significant for analysis follows is idiorrhythmy’s relationship eros, idea idiorrhythmy preserves space body’s desires opening interruptions, deviations, digressions. remainder offers close reading Rvf 126, focusing one image poem that, like idiorrhythmy, rooted fantasy embraces errancy: flower turning falling around poet’s beloved seems speak love.