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| Heloise and Abelard (Pinterest) |
“Art is my crime, and my
genius.” This is a line from a poem by an unknown female poet of the 12th
century. The author claimed that she has been exiled by ignorant rulers because
she is a woman who writes.
Like many other occupations,
centuries ago, being a writer was not something that society saw fit for a
woman. There was a time where some would take it as a moral offense if a woman
would dare to write. Imagine that…
This however did not stop
female Italian-French poet and writer Christine de Pizan (1364–1430) to publish
over forty major works in the late 14th and 15th century.
She is the first professional Western female writer, who after the death of her
husband, supported herself, children, and other family members by becoming an
author. Christine is definitely an inspiration to me.
At least today we live in an
era where although not all, but most women are no longer refrained from writing. And
today, I think the blogosphere has become a refuge for many women amateur
writers like myself. Tonight, as I am writing and trying to inspire myself in
the hustle bustle of the city at night, I’m thinking I wish I could quit my day
job to be a full-time writer. As the sound of the train 18 stories down and the
cool breeze of the wind creeping through my bedroom window keep me tranquil in
my writing, I am on a journey back in history… I find myself caught up in the
tragic story of two medieval lovers—Heloise and Abelard.
Medieval
Love and Lust
Way before Kate Millett’s
critical analysis in Sexual Politics
(1970) of the works of prominent male authors, in The Tale of the Rose (1402), Christine de Pizan had criticized the
misogyny found in a very popular medieval book by Jean de Meun, The Romance of the Rose. To
Christine, the book characterizes women as seducers.
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| Christine de Pizan (Pinterest) |
In Roman de la Rose, as the book was originally
titled, de Meun translated some of the love letters of the famous medieval
lovers, Heloise and Abelard. Although highly disputed, some scholars have
attributed the quote at the top to Heloise d’ Argenteuil (1090(?)–1164)—a well-known
scholar, abbess, and writer who lived in Paris during the Middle Ages. At a
time when most women were denied an education, to enhance her knowledge and
skill, Heloise was tutored at her uncle’s home. She was an exceptional and
passionate student of the sciences and languages. However, history remembers
Heloise not for her scholarly talent, but for her tragic love affair with the
man who tutored her—the famous philosopher and theologian of the 12th
century, Peter Abelard (1079–1142).
Their famous romance is a
story of a medieval scandalous affair, erotic love, and rebellion. The climax
of the story is when Abelard was castrated by men sent by Heloise’s uncle who
feared that Abelard plans to divorce his niece. For those who are familiar with
medieval history knows how the story ends—with Abelard becoming a monk and
Heloise a nun. Not much is known about their love child.
Their letters to each other
after they were separated for life in their respective convents have created
different interpretations of the affair. Some see it as the most beautiful
romance of the century, while some see the affair as one of enticement. Moreover,
others see this romance as one that advocates free love.
Far
from being the typical femme fatale, Heloise was a rebel, critical of the
conventions of her time. And far ahead of her time, Heloise rejected the
marriage institution. Her view that marriage is contractual prostitution
resonates only centuries later with second wave feminism.
In her view, marriage functions as a means for women to secure wealth rather
than love. This is maybe why a pregnant Heloise initially turned down Abelard’s
offer for a secret marriage. Secret so that it would not ruin his career. In
her letter to Abelard, she wrote that rather then become an empress she would find
it more honorable to be called his whore. Sounds a bit radical even today.
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| Heloise and Abelard (Pinterest) |
But
Abelard was able to persuade her to agree to a secret marriage and it was also
Abelard who later persuaded Heloise to become a nun, despite her lack of
interest. Although she wore a nun’s outfit, she never wore the veil. It was
during this time apart that they corresponded and their letters became the
famous love letters of Heloise and Abelard. Abelard, being the genius he was,
was also an ardent composer and he wrote a number of love songs for Heloise,
adding to the lament in the legend of their tragic romance.
It
seems that the tragedy downplayed Heloise’s scholarship and she was seldom
remembered as a scholar. She already had an academic life before her
relationship with Abelard but her career for the remaining part of her life was
in the convent. She became a prioress and later abbess. Abelard on the other
hand, was able to regain his reputation and continued his teaching career and
had a wide follower. If things turned out differently, Heloise would have
wanted to continue her academic and single life. As she once wrote:
“What woman will be able to bear the constant filth and squalor of babies?”
Medieval Rebels
Christine de Pizan’s
objection to The Rose, as interpreted
by scholars, was due to its conception of human nature as being male and its representation
of women as a different race, a race less than human. Heloise certainly did not
fit nicely into this framework. Although she gave in to Abelard’s insistence to
marriage and the convent, in contrary to most women of her time, she would
rather live the life of a scholar and stay in a relationship, unmarried, but
based on love.
As with most women of her
time, Christine condemned relationships outside marriage as being un-Christian
and was by no way an advocate of free love. But nonetheless, all through her
writing career, she continued to be an advocate of women’s position in society
and was a critique of how women were depicted in literature. One of her major
works, The Book of the City of Ladies
(1410), is considered to be the first feminist text by a Western woman. Christine
consistently defended women against the abusive treatment in literature, which
led Simone de Beauvoir to comment that in Christine’s work, “it was the first
time we see a woman take up her pen in defense of her sex.”
Christine and Heloise were
rebels of their day and may well be the prototype of Western feminist writers. However,
they contributed to the critical analysis that feminism in general later
developed about the fundamental institutions in society and misogyny.
Christine and Heloise are
just two of the many women throughout history and all over the world who in the
most difficult circumstances, where the comfort of writing was not their
privilege, took the pen and dared to write!
I find myself back from my
medieval time travel. Awakening from my tranquil state of writing, I get up to
gaze at the city lights penetrating through my window; the moonlight sparkle
the darkness… I am inspired. Yes, I will take my pen.
Sources
Biography.com (2014) Christine de Pisan [online] <https://www.biography.com/people/christine-de-pisan-9247589>
[4 February 2018].
Medieval Manuscript Blogs (2016) Justifying Women Writers: A Medieval Poet Speaks Out. British
Library [online] <http://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2016/03/justifying-women-writers-a-medieval-poet-speaks-out.html
> [3 February 2018].
Middle
Ages Women (n.d.) [online] <http://www.lordsandladies.org/middle-ages-women.htm>
[6 January 2018].
Nehring, Cristina (2005) Heloise and Abelard: Love Hurts. New
York Times [online] <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/books/review/heloise-abelard-love-hurts.html>
[29 January 2018].
Newman, Barbara (2014) Astonishing Heloise [online] <https://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n02/barbara-newman/astonishing-heloise
London Review of Books> [3 February 2018].
Wikipedia
Last edited 13 February 2018
Last edited 13 February 2018
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