Synopses & Reviews
The letters of Heloise and Abelard are one of the great romantic and intellectual documents of human civilization, while the writers themselves are second only to Romeo and Juliet in the fame accrued by tragic lovers. Living in the abbey of the Paraclete in twelfth-century France, the two poured their hearts and minds out to each other in a series of letters. These letters are notable for their intelligence, insight, and philosophy and make clear the reason Heloise and Abelard's story has resounded for centuries. Here, for the first time, is their collected correspondence with accessible commentary from two of our foremost medieval scholars. This book is a necessity for anyone interested in the medieval period or in these two touching and unforgettable figures.
Review
"Heloise and Abelard have been extraordinarily well served by this latest translation of their celebrated correspondence. Every aspect of the book is exemplary, from its comprehensive and unobtrusive annotations, to its enthralling introduction. But the greatest strength of the book is perhaps to undo a lot of the posthumous myth-making surrounding the couple, as its brisk and supple translation allows them to speak openly in their own terms. Thus Heloise clearly emerges with all her fierce passion and fiercer intelligence, while Abelard presents a personality as contradictory as his philosophy, being by turns nostalgic and repentant, combative and humble, caustic and self-pitying. Nonetheless the edition does not restrict itself to these voices alone, but expands their dialogue into a full-blown symposium, including a generous selection of related letters by both hostile and sympathetic parties, such as Peter the Venerable and Bernard of Clairvaux. In sum, this edition is an astonishing scholarly achievement, and will no doubt stand as the authoritative edition for some decades to come." - Ben Parsons, Teaching Fellow in English, University of Leicester, UK
Synopsis
The letters of Heloise and Abelard will remain one of the great, romantic and intellectual documents of human civilization while they, themselves, are probably second only to Romeo and Juliet in the fame accrued by tragic lovers. Here for the first time in Mart Martin McLaughlin's edition is the complete correspendence with commentary.
About the Author
Mary Martin McLaughlin was one of the pre-eminent medieval historians of the twentieth-century. Her scholarship concentrated on the religious lives of medieval women and children and families in the Middle Ages. She was the editor of The Portable Medieval Reader and The Portable Renaissance Reader, with James Bruce Ross. She taught at the University of Nebraska, Wellesley College, and Vassar College, USA.
Bonnie Wheeler teaches at Southern Methodist University, USA where she directs the Medieval Studies Program. She has edited and co-edited fourteen books, among them Heloise and the Paraclete (with Mary Martin McLaughlin). She is the executive editor of Arthuriana and President of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals.
Table of Contents
Introductory Essay
PART I: THE CORRESPONENCE OF HELOISE AND ABELARD
1. Abelard's Letter of Consolation to a Friend: A Story of Calamities
2. Heloise to Abelard
3. Abelard to Heloise
4. Heloise to Abelard
5. Abelard to Heloise
6. Heloise to Abelard
7. Abelard to Heloise: The Origin of Nuns
8. Abelard to Heloise: A Rule for Nuns
9. Abelard to Heloise : 'On Studies'
10. Abelard's Last Letter to Heloise: A Profession of Faith
PART II: HELOISE'S QUESTIONS (PROBLEMATA HELOISSAE)
11. Forty-Two Questions Posed by Heloise and Answered by Abelard
PART III: OTHER RELATED LETTERS
12. Abelard to Bernard of Clairvaux
13. Abelard to His Comrades
14. Bernard of Clairvaux to Cardinal Ivo
15. Bernard of Clairvaux to Pope Innocent II
16. Peter the Venerable to Pope Innocent II
17. Peter the Venerable to Heloise
18. Heloise to Peter the Venerable
19. Peter the Venerable to Heloise