Andreas Capellanus, Scholasticism, and the Courtly Tradition - Hardcover

Monson, Don A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081321419X ISBN 13: 9780813214191

Publisher: The Catholic University of America Press, 2005

Synopsis

This book, the first study in English devoted entirely to Andreas Capellanus's De Amore, presents a comprehensive inquiry into the influence of scholasticism on the structure and organization of the work, applying methods of medieval philosophy and intellectual history to an important problem in medieval literary studies. Eschewing polemics over authorial intentions, Don Monson develops an approach to the work's meaning through an examination of its form. The first part of the book explores the generic identity of the work, both a scientific treatise and a practical manual. It relates this generic complexity to a tension between rhetoric and dialectic and explores the work's intertextual character in terms of the authorities cited and the literary models structuring the discourse. In light of these considerations, Monson examines the modern debate over ironic intentions. The second part of the book studies the work's meaning in terms of a dialectic between four traditions: vernacular poetry, feudal society, Christianity, and Ovid. The author examines the scholastic definition, which defines love generically as an ""emotion"" (passio innata) and specifically in terms of Aristotelian causality. He then explores Andreas's love psychology and physiology, including the roles of sight, meditation, desire, and will, the physical and mental requirements for loving, and the dynamics of love relationships. Next, the social ramifications of love are discussed: the competing claims of nobility of birth and of merit, and the roles of service, generosity, courtesy, and reputation. The final chapter studies the ethical dimension of the treatise, identifying two complementary components: an attempt to reconcile sexual love with Christian morality, followed by the rejection of love on the grounds of their incompatibility.

About this title

Review:

"Monson's thorough analysis of Andreas's important treatise and appropriate scholarship evaluates the meaning of the work, taking account not only of its serious intentions but also, significantly, the relative weaknesses of Andreas's ability to handle his material. It will be required reading for those that treat Andreas and issues of courtly love in the future."

About the Author:

Don A. Monson is professor of French at the College of William and Mary.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Catholic University of America Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 081321419X
• ISBN 13: 9780813214191
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384