Date of Award
Fall 12-2020
Document Type
Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Program
History
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Thesis Advisor
Gregory Bell
Committee Member
Peter Judge
Committee Member
Dave Pretty
Keywords
Peter Abelard, Heloise d'Argenteuil, philosophy, twelfth century, medieval France, abbess
Abstract
The scandal surrounding Peter Abelard and Heloise’s love story has eclipsed the depth of their individual intellects resulting in many scholars devoting their writings to the couple’s overly eroticized narrative. After the condemnation of Peter Abelard and after Heloise commissioned herself into a convent, the relationship between tutor and tutee remained alive through written correspondence. Through an examination of their personal writings, this is paper will suggest that though their story has been adopted under the genre of a romance, this categorization falls short in conveying the highbrow substance of Abelard and Heloise, whose promiscuous beginnings have distracted historians from the intellectual wealth that was the foundation of their longstanding relationship.
Recommended Citation
Hieber, Abby Brook, "Abelard and Heloise: a Marriage of Minds" (2020). Graduate Theses. 125.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/125
Included in
European History Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Medieval History Commons, Women's History Commons