Putting words into action.

It is easy to say that you love somebody. Yet.. it is not so easy to prove that love. In the story of Art of  Courtly Love it can be noted that ones love must be proven and not just spoken. “When she was convinced of the complete faithfulness of this knight and understood better how boldly he had striven, she rewarded him with her love.” (Line 7 of page 186) I feel this quote is important because it describes how she believed he loved her; but she wanted more than his words of love. She wanted to see it in his actions as well.

Changed rules for love

In the reading, Capellanus explains that there are rules to love. In chapter 2, it is clear that a rule of love is “that love cannot exist except between persons of opposite sexes.” In chapter 8, Rule XXXI states that “nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women.”  These rules are in stark contrast with the societal norms and laws that are in place today. For example, in the U.S., all state bans on same-sex marriage were struck down in 2015. Since then, same-sex relationships have been widely celebrated. Of course there are still instances of hatred and intolerance towards same-sex couples, however, same-sex couples still have more freedom and recognition now than in the past. Additionally, there are laws that forbid people to have more than one spouse in the U.S. This means that these two rules of love have completely flip-flopped in today’s society. As the centuries have gone by, taking more than one lover has become forbidden while having a lover of the same sex is not. In my opinion, the contemporary viewpoint of love is much more reasonable. The love between two people should be celebrated, regardless of the sexual orientation of those two lovers. 

Welcome! Bienvenue!

Welcome to the course blog for English 284, Medieval Romance, at Hood College.

This semester, we'll be reading some of the "greatest hits" of medieval literature and learning about the ways that literature both shapes and is shaped by the culture that produces and enjoys it. It will be a great journey, and I look forward to sharing it with you all!