Courtly Love in Medieval Literature

1
Courtly Love in Medieval Literature

• The Case of the Franklins Tale
• and others

2
Courtly Love A Refresher

• Historical Beginnings
• 11th century France and other places
• Literary construction not actual
• Andreas Capellanus text The Art of Courtly Love
  explained a system
• that did not actually translate into
  behavioral expectations
• Named in late 19th century but aspects of it
  are
• woven throughout literary history
  (particularly Victorian)
• Basic tenets included the ennobling of the
  lover through engaging
• in love the elevation of the beloved to a
  superior position love
• as ever-increasing desire / insatiable.

3
Courtly Love

• Social Surroundings
• Court-based suited particularly for nobility
  who alone were considered capable of finer forms
  of behaviors and the levels of self-control
  necessary for courtly romance (Hawkes 73).
• Partially a response to the practical marriages
  taking place in nobility emotional outlet for
  romance, passion
• Portions of it arose across geographical areas
  and centuries The Origin and Meaning of
  Courtly Love assigns the most influence to
  Spanish-Arabic poets for starting it all
• Catharist Church - suggested that this
  movement, developing simultaneous w/courtly love,
  influenced it chastity and mystical elements
  particularly (Rougemont).

4
Courtly Love

• Relationship to the Church
• Courtly love at odds with Church
• - Capellanus Art of Courtly Love
• Heresy of Courtly Love condemns it
• Franklins Tale Breton lai,
• so pre-Christian. Does this matter?
• In opposition to marriage

5
Other examples of courtly love texts in the
medieval period

• The Mabinogion collection of romances,
• written down from oral tradition of Welsh
  
• bards in 13th or 14th century
• The Romance of the Rose, Guillame de Lorris
• Jean de Meun, (epic-length) verse
• Marie de Frances Lais relatively short verse
  
• romances, late 12th century, in Old French
• Prologue to the Lais in song!

6
From Courtly Love to the Franklins Tale

• Trouthe
• Courtly love
• male-centered
• Marriage
• both male female

7
Interpreting the taleThe FT as a courtly romance

• Arveragus as central His response to Dorigen ,
  made in friendly manner rather than in anger,
  is a display of... gentilesse (Carruthers). Is
  it?
• Dorigen as more than cardboard cut-out she is
  made to behave like a real woman with real
  sorrows and anxieties (Wurtele 368). Yet, within
  the confines of the courtly romance, she has no
  voice to refuse Aurelius her impossible task
  given him does not work to discourage his
  advances (Crane 64-66).
• Aurelius subtil clerk does releasing others
  from heavy vows guarantee their gentilesse?

8
Interpreting the narrator the Franklin as a
purveyor of courtly love

• the plot contradicts the Franklins assertion
  that he can represent a courtly relation in which
  men and women enjoy the same libertee (Crane
  109).
• Compared to Wife of Bath through wife in her
  tale, she fulfills courtly love expectations
  (female desires are central) and the Franklin
  gets it wrong (Wurtele 370). He makes the hero
  insist that the heroine fulfill a promise she
  does not want to keep, to submit to a man she
  does not want to receive (370). The Franklin as
  social climber?
• Demande damour who is the most free?
• Is this question of generosity the central
  interpretation that must be made here? What is
  the Franklin missing?