The term « satire » in Jean Drouyn’s Nef des folz, 1498

This paper examines the use of the word ‘satire’ in La Nef des folz by Jean Drouyn and its consequence for the definition of the genre. The spelling confusion satire/satyre leads to a fictitious literary history based on the addition of the Greek comedy to the attested Latin origin of the genre. Overshadowing the verse form in the generic definition, the adapter insists on the ethical dimension and develops a stronger relationship between the content of the criticism and the targeted sinner.