Jean-Antoine de Baif and the first circulation of the Diverses Amours (1572). Reflections on manuscript 842 of the BnF

The French manuscript 842 of the Bibliotheque nationale de France contains thirty-three sonnets by Jean-Antoine de Baif that were published in his Diverses Amours (1572). These sonnets present distinct features not found in the later printed version, making them of particular scholarly interest. Their inclusion in a composite collection raises questions about their origin, contents, and status. Composed to evoke a love affair, these handwritten sonnets shed light on the genesis of the Amours, a subject that is primarily a question of literary history.