La notion de dureté entre grammaire, rhétorique et poétique à la Renaissance

This article highlights a progressive re-evaluation of notions of stylistic softness and harshness in some grammatical and rhetorical treatises from around 1550. It relates this to reflections on the propriety of the French language at this time, the ideal French style, and its necessary ­compatibility with the diversity of genres and situations making up modern ­communication.