An Analysis Of Thi Andreas Capallanus On Love '

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the literary concept of physical and emotional love disappeared from stories and texts until the twelfth century. These romantic love stories were replaced by spiritual love between warriors and God. Themes such as loyalty and bravery to God and to the men the warrior fought with were prevalent. Around the year 1100, troubadour poets in southern France began writing and sharing stories about a new type of romantic, courtly love. These early courtly love poems and stories began a transition period between the warrior stories and the more “refined” stories such as Lancelot. The new culture and style promoted by these writers were non-violent and full of self-sacrifice and respect. The courtly love relationship did not have to be between husband and wife because it was very difficult for true courtly love to exist within the context of arranged medieval marriages, which were almost always politically or socially motivated. In

In Book I, fictional situational dialogues between men and women attempting to woo and win each other’s affections and love are included. The men and women are from all different classes and parts of society and their behaviors and reactions reflect their respective social statuses. The author’s situations and commentary suggest that courtly love makes a man more virtuous and it pushes him to be better in all aspects of life. Book II discusses many different situations that one could find themselves in and it outlines the medieval “rules for love.” The third book talks about why love should be avoided, which is Andreas’ belief and actual advice for the reader. The wide breadth and all-encompassing nature of the books give the reader insight into courtly love and allows us to analyze other works to examine this relationship and idea of courtly