Bishops’ speeches in seventeenth-century fiction

Do seventeenth century fictions stage preaching bishops? Clearly, during this period, the topos of an eloquent prelate, though well documented in historical sources, does not reflect in those texts. This article emphasizes such a silence, which can be explained by a secularization of fiction, as well as certain views on the respect due to bishops’ speeches. The archetype of the preaching bishop rather appears in nineteenth-century novels, which puts an even greater emphasis on the casuists' characters.