The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)
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  • The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)
  • The Letters of Abelard and Heloise
  • Tragic Love Story
  • A summary
  • Tragic Story
The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)
Peter Abelard , Heloise , and Michael Clanchy
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140448993
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

Abelard and Heloise are nearly as famous a pair of tragic lovers as the fictional Romeo and Juliet; their shared passion for knowledge, religious faith, and one another sealed their destiny. Abelard was a well-respected, 12th-century Parisian scholar and teacher, and Heloise was his talented young student. The two relate their story through a set of letters to one another and intimate acquaintances. Their ardor is unmistakable; as Abelard writes to his love, "So intense were the fires of lust which bound me to you that I set those wretched, obscene pleasures, which we blush even to name, above God as above myself..." This forbidden lust resulted in a pregnancy and secret marriage, and when their union could no longer withstand the challenges in its path, each lover sought refuge in the church--Abelard became a monk and Heloise an abbess. Their correspondence continued as both achieved success in their new careers but continued to struggle with their feelings for one another; the set of letters powerfully articulates the wide range of emotions they experienced. So timeless is their love story that--after eight centuries--their passion, their devotion, and their struggle still resonate with readers.

Book Description

The story of Abelard and Heloise remains one of the world's most dramatic and well-known love affairs. It is told through the letters of French philosopher Peter Abelard and his gifted pupil Heloise. Through their impassioned writings unfolds the story of a romance, from its reckless, ecstatic beginnings to the public scandal, enforced secret marriage, and devastating consequences that followed. These eloquent and intimate letters express a vast range of emotions from adoration and devotion to reproach, indignation, and grief, and offer a fascinating insight into religious life in the Middle Ages.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics).......2007-03-19

Arrived in very good condition as promised.

3 out of 5 stars The Letters of Abelard and Heloise.......2007-03-14

This book was definitely thought provoking, or at least the parts I had to read for class were. I'm not sure if I would recommend it as a fun read. However, it was interesting.

5 out of 5 stars Tragic Love Story.......2007-01-15

If this story were not true, it would be almost unbelievable. If Hollywood tried to conjure up this blot line, it would be viewed as implausible and fanciful. The story, however, of the tragic love affair of Abelard and Heloise is indeed true.

The Penguin Classics edition wisely combines Abelard's autobiography with the surviving letters between he and his lover/wife/friend Heloise. Abelard, first the arrogant seducer, later is humbled by God after being punished by man. Later in life, though still shamed and enduring constant accusations, Abelard provides spiritual direction for Heloise and her fellow sisters at the convent over which she was abbess. It was during these years that their letters are exchanged.

The letters provide insight into a soul love that started out as carnal, but was purified by God. They also provide insight into feminine soul care and spiritual direciton, as Heloise demonstrates tremendous wisdom in her words and spiritual conversations.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, and the forthcoming: Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care Givers and Spiritual Directors.

3 out of 5 stars A summary.......2006-06-26

Letter 1 (Historia Calamitatum), Abelard to a friend. You think you have it bad? Let me tell you about the mess I've been through and you'll feel a lot better (p. 3). Things were going great until the other professors realized I was smarter than they were and hated me for it. And then I met Heloise, and things really went downhill from there. Her looks were okay, and I'm a handsome dude, so I thought she'd be easy (p. 10). Her uncle Fulbert was an idiot to leave me alone with her (pp. 10-11). I was her teacher and she was just a kid, but I couldn't keep my hands off her. I slapped her around a little to make it look like I was teaching her and not doing her (p. 11). We went at it like rabbits. I knocked her up, she had a kid, and Uncle Fulbert made us get hitched. It was supposed to be a secret, but Fulbert started to spill the beans, so I put Heloise in a convent. That really pissed off Fulbert, so he made a steer out of me (pp. 16-17). Then I made Heloise take the veil, and I became a monk. Now I'm stuck in a hellhole of a monastery in Brittany with a bunch of thugs.

Letter 2, Heloise to Abelard. I just saw the letter you wrote to your friend. Too bad things have been tough, but how come I haven't gotten a letter from you in over 10 years? I think about you all the time, you big stud. It makes me crazy. I'd rather be called your whore than your wife (p. 51). All the girls were jealous of me; we still sing your songs (pp. 52-53). I'd really like to get a letter from you, especially since it was your idea that I become a nun (p. 53). You were a real jerk back then when you waited to make sure I became a nun before you became a monk (p. 54). The least you can do is write.

Letter 3, Abelard to Heloise. How am I supposed to know you wanted to hear from me? I figured you've had better things to do in the last few years than read my letters. Be a good sister and don't worry about me. But if I kick the bucket, bury me at the convent (p. 61).

Letter 4, Heloise to Abelard. Don't talk that way! It makes me crazy to think of you dead. It seems especially unfair that Uncle Fulbert waited until after we were married to get the knives out. I loved doing the nasty with you. All I do is remember us getting it on. I can't even sleep (pp. 68-69). I really can't stand it.

Letter 5, Abelard to Heloise. Black women are not as good-looking as other women, but they have nice teeth and soft skin - it's better to keep them behind closed doors, you know (pp. 73-75). Do you remember when I used to smack you around when you weren't in the mood (p. 81)? Quit your complaining. Let's write only about religious stuff from now on.

Letter 6, Heloise to Abelard. Are there any loopholes in the Benedictine Rule for nuns?...

5 out of 5 stars Tragic Story.......2006-01-05

I have been fascinated by the story of Heloise and Abelard ever since reading the book Stealing Heaven in 1979. Reading theses Letters was heartbreaking to me. This is my take on the whole thing: obviously Peter and Heloise had a deeply passionate sexual relationship. For Heloise, this grew also into an affair of the heart. For both of them it was an affair of the mind. What could be more enticing to a man than a woman of Heloise's intellect and passion? However, it was also the Middle Ages. Heloise was from a prominant family with an uncle high in the Church heirarchy. She loved Peter, as women do, with body, mind and soul. I believe he loved her deeply, but it is different with men. And as long as he was a whole man, I believe he acted honorably. But there is no way around it: her pregnancy was a disaster. What were they to do, what could they do? It is not as if he and she could live together married happily ever after. He faced ruin when she became pregnant: everything he was was put at great risk--his life's work was at stake, his standing in society, his reputation, his position at his University. They marry in secret, she hides away in a convent waiting to be rescued and carried off by her husband to a life of what? She doesn't care--she only wants to be with the man she loves. But what about him? How does he see this future? I feel sorry for the guy. But all this is moot, because her uncle has him castrated. At that point, he changes. No one seems to be acknowledging the effect this would have on him. The most importand underpinning of his feeling for Heloise, i.e., testosterone-induced lust, is suddenly gone. Then add in the humiliation, pain, etc., etc. There you have it. His only option was the Church. Her only option was the Church. But how very differently they embarked upon that life. To him it is a welcome refuge. He can continue to live his life of the mind in that setting. He is surrounded by other celibate men. He has no sexual feelings anymore. He is a different person. Whatever feeling he had for Heloise is cut from him. Indeed, he sees the whole thing as sinful, dirty, to be repented of. She, on the other hand, is in an entirely different situation. Religious life for her is not a refuge, but a prison. She has no access to her child. She has lost her love and lover, against her will. Not only are they separated, but the man she loves no longer loves her. It would have been better for her had he died. But to read his letters to her, wherein he totally rejects and condemns and regrets what she treasures most in her life and scolds her for not doing the same is heartbreaking. The letters make perfect sense to me. She was tormented by her love for him till old age cooled her ardor. She set her considerable mind at work on managing her religious order, but it was second-best, by far, till she was older. Since she adored him all her life, she engaged with him in the only manner he would allow: letters regarding religion and the religious life. I don't know how she bore it for all those years. No doubt about it: the uncle is the villian. Both Heloise and Peter suffered greatly: she had her heart torn from her, and he had his manhood torn from him.
The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard: Perceptions of Dialogue in Twelfth-Century France (The New Middle Ages)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful Texts & Translations
  • Academic detective work & translating at its best!
  • Add me to this list of people who loved this book!
  • Brilliant!
  • Akin to discovering a hitherto unknown play by Shakespeare
The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard: Perceptions of Dialogue in Twelfth-Century France (The New Middle Ages)
Constant J. Mews
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312239416

Book Description

This book examines a medieval text long neglected by most scholars. The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard looks at the earlier correspondence between these two famous individuals, revealing the emotions and intimate exchanges that occurred between them. The perspectives presented here are very different from the view related by Abelard in his "History of My Calamities," an account which provoked a much more famous exchange of letters between Heloise and Abelard after they had both entered religious life. Offering a full translation of the love letters along with a copy of the actual Latin text, Mews provides an in-depth analysis of the debate concerning the authenticity of the letters and look at the way in which the relationship between Heloise and Abelard has been perceived over the centuries. He also explores the political, literary, and religious contexts in which the two figures conducted their affair and offers new insights into Heloise as an astonishingly gifted writer, whose literary gifts were ultimately frustrated by the course of her relationship with her teacher.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Wonderful Texts & Translations.......2004-07-24

Mews makes a less than satisfying case for the authorship of the letters: it's not as if the two famous lovers were the only teacher / pupil passion of the Middle Ages, and authenticating this sort of thing is tricky business. Calling it the "lost letters of Heloise and Abelard" is a bit romantic, I think. If you're into historical certainties, this may prove irritating.

Mews is more persuasive when she writes about what the letters show us about medieval love and its dialogics.

But the letters don't have to be those of Heloise and Abelard to be a ripping good read. Especially if you're looking for some practice translating medieval Latin, the book is very satisfying: the Latin is not very difficult, and translations on the facing page make a sure pony (and are lovely in their own right).

5 out of 5 stars Academic detective work & translating at its best!.......2004-07-11

What a treat to read these early letters! Mews compelling argues, based upon impeccable scholarship, that what we have here is a bona fide glimpse into the developing relationship between two of the medieval world's most interesting philosophers. Heloise's letters compel me to reconsider the views expressed in A History of Women Philosophers Volume 2 regarding Heloise's sexual interest in Abelard, while clarifying the fact that she took the doctrine of the morality of intention much more seriously than did Abelard. The letters clearly show that while Abelard taught Ciceronian/Tullian moral philosophy to Heloise, she practiced it while he did not. And for those who have no interest in philosophy?? Read one of the greatest love stories never told, straight from the mouths of the lovers themselves.

5 out of 5 stars Add me to this list of people who loved this book!.......2003-01-18

Seldom do I find a work of historical scholarship that I simply cannot put down -- this is it. Anyone familiar with the Abelard and Heloise story and the very basic outlines of 12th century history ought to enjoy this compelling and intriguing piece.

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant!.......2000-04-20

What a fine piece of work this is from Constant Mews! I was dazzled by his erudition and the almost detective-like skill he used in authenticating this cache of letters as being those of the tragic Heloise and Abelard. Scholars have much to thank Mews and his collaborator, Chiavarolli, for upon the publication of this timely work. Those who believe Heloise to be the more important of the two figures also have much to rejoice about. They have elevated Heloise to the level of other well-known medieval woman such as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan, etc. Bravo. A long overdue piece of the Heloise and Abelard puzzle has finally been laid in place.

5 out of 5 stars Akin to discovering a hitherto unknown play by Shakespeare.......1999-12-21

Drawing upon the research presented in Ewald Konsgen's 'Epistolae duorun amantium: Briefe Abaelards und Heloises? (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1974), Mews offers a compelling thesis that letters discovered and transcribed in Clairvaux in the 15th century are the 'lost' love letters of Peter Abelard and Heloise. Mews asserts that the letters in question were written 'by two articulate individuals who lived in the Ile-de-France in first half of the 12th century [who] were fully conversant with the classical authors known at that time', a point made by Konsgen but further developed by Mews. Indeed, it is made clear that not only are the Clairvaux letters the work of two distinctly different authors, but that woman is the man's student, "the only disciple of philosophy among all the women of our age" as he calls her, the man a famous teacher, a master of philosophy and a poet. The author begins with the discovery of the letters in a monastery at Clairvaux and their transcription by the monk Johannes de Vespria. He then follows with a discussion of the 'known' (and still controversial) letters of Abelard and Heloise and how those letters shaped the subsequent perception of their relationship. Mews goes on to compare the vocabulary of the known letters with the Clairvaux letters, arguing that the parallels are so striking that it "stretches plausibility to argue that the letters were written by any one other than Abelard and Heloise." He finishes his analysis by showing the implications of this discovery to the present understanding of the evolution of their relationship. The final chapter is a transcription of the Clairvaux letters in Latin, with a parallel translation in English. Throughout the book, Mews throws light on the broader issues of communication between men and woman in 12th century France. He also places the 'story' of Abelard and Heloise into the broader context of their era, explaining how the political upheavals and cultural changes of the 12th century played a part in their relationship and in their lives in general. Mews' argument is reasoned, well researched, and entirely convincing. As for the letters themselves, erotic and sensual, they offers a tantilizing glimpse into the early relationship of Abelard and Heloise - but there are mysteries here too. What is the cause of the rift that seems to have happened between the writing of letters 57 and 58? What does the woman mean when she writes "If you are well and moving among wordly concerns without trouble, I am carried away by a great exultation of mind"? Is this truly Heloise writing to Abelard about the birth of their child? Both writers fill their letters with imagery about the stars, the sun and moon, and celestial light - is this what prompted Heloise and Abelard to name their child (Peter) Astrolabe? The real importance of these letters may be in their discussion of the true nature of friendship and love, which may shed light on and help us to better understand the 'known' letters of Abelard and Heloise. In the Clairvaux letters, the woman seems determined to define their relationship and convince the man of her true love for him; the man seems more preoccupied with the erotic nature of their friendship. These letters are also important in illustrating what a poetic and original writer Heloise was - an idea often overlooked by those more preoccupied by the romance and tragedy of her story. I look forward to reading more arguments concerning authorship of these lost letters, and I encourage not only scholars, but lay people like myself to read this book.
Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Abelard & Heloise
  • "The course of True Love never did run smooth"
  • Love in the Time of Ecclesiastical Change
  • Sex, secret love, religion, violence, and heresy!
  • A True Medieval Love Story?
Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography
James Burge
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060736631
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Abelard & Heloise.......2006-06-15

The romance of Abelard and Heloise is almost as famous as Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet were fictitious. Abelard and Heloise, however, lived. In addition, both Abelard, a famous Medieval philosopher, and Heloise, the administrator of a large convent, had identities beyond their relationship.

Many books about Abelard and Eloise have been written during the 900 years since their death. Their story is sad. The author, James Burge, demonstrates that their difficulties were partly due to the times but were also due to their personalities.

The occasion for this excellent book is the remarkable recent discovery of 113 letters the lovers wrote to each other. James Burge uses these together with previously known letters and other records to construct biographies of each of the lovers. As we follow them through their lives, Burge describes 12th century philosophical and religious thought, Medieval educational institutions, places important to the couple, the economic situation of the times, Medieval architectural movements, clothing, food, and other details of life.

The new and old letters provide a wealth of information about Abelard and Heloise. Burge uses them to flesh out their long dead bones. By the end of the book, I felt I knew these people, complete with their strengths and weaknesses. Other records describe people with whom the couple interacted. These interactions importantly elucidate the personalities of Abelard and Heloise.

While he lived, Abelard was well known for winning philosophical disputations and for his teaching. The book is a bit disappointing in that we never watch Abelard either dispute an opponent or teach students. Perhaps surviving records do not give enough information to permit this. Without such "demonstrations", we don't know exactly what Abelard did in these situations that was so unusual.

Heloise was a big surprise to me. She was no retiring, Medieval, uneducated miss. Today we would call her a Liberated Woman. She was brilliant and had a mind of her own. Had she lived today, she probably would have had an illustrious career as a writer. Her letters are outstanding. Her Latin vocabulary was immense and her choice of words and sentence structure (as translated) was original and vivid. Her writing is immediate and moving. At times her prose feels like poetry.

This is an excellent book. I recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars "The course of True Love never did run smooth".......2006-06-06

What a story! Shakespeare did indeed have it right when saying, "The course of true love never did run smooth."

Heloise and Abelard hit not only some bumpy rapids, but some waterfalls and whirlpools. But their writing to each other is so incredibly beautiful, so poignant.

It took me a while to work through this one, but it was worth it. An incredible love story from 900 years ago. If anyone ever says the Middle Ages were dull and stogy, give 'em this book to read. Though some places are in the original text the most part has been translated into modern English. Beautifully, moving, erotic and powerful...

Heloise is remarkable. Usually when hearing about this couple, she comes second-- the wanton woman who mended her ways and became an abbess. Burge shows her true colors: intelligent, articulate, intellectual, sensuous, and tenacious at a time when women were not expected to be any of those things. Her letters rang with an honesty. She wasn't afraid to declare her love or to get on Abelard's case when his responses didn't live up to her expectations


And the other fascinating part of this book besides the glimpse into their relationship? It gave a window into their world, particularly that of the influence of the church and role of women in it, and the rise of intellectualism and the universities.

4 out of 5 stars Love in the Time of Ecclesiastical Change.......2006-05-29

One of history's greatest romances and, I must write, friendships comes alive through Burge's eloquent accounting of the lives, love, and circumstances of Heloise and Abelard. Burge is especially enabled through the relatively recent discovery of 113 letters between the pair. These letters, along with the eight original found letters, permit a luxurious look into not only a relationship, but into a time in history that bears remarkable similarity to our own.

It was back in the 12th century. Abelard, a philosopher of rock-star fame and ambition, meets the intellectual and highly educated Heloise. He maneuvers his way into her household as her tutor, giving him a salary and the pair unfettered access under the guise of study time. Lust in the library leads to a surprise pregnancy, and the wrath of Heloise's guardian uncle Fulbert. The baby is born, and in typical rock star fashion, is given the unlikely name Astrolabe, which would be like someone today naming their child iPod. Oh, those philosophers, those artists. Dare I mention Apple Martin, or Moon Unit Zappa?

Many historical studies end with the revenge of Fulbert, and the separation of Heloise and Abelard into cloistered worlds. But here, I think, is where the real romance begins. Their deep soul level relationship continues throughout their lives, with Abelard tilting at philosophic windmills and running afoul of rival clerics, and Heloise quietly, firmly, and steadily building her order of nuns all the while providing constant emotional, intellectual, and managerial support to Abelard. She's the Sharon to his Ozzie; the Linda to his Paul.

At once a study in history, romantic legend, and the role of women in the 12th century, this book is a marvelous, highly digestible read that both delights and educates. I'm greatly looking forward to the forthcoming Dante and Beatrice volume.

4 out of 5 stars Sex, secret love, religion, violence, and heresy!.......2006-05-01

Heloise and Abelard retells the story of what is generally regarded as one of the great love stories of the ages. Burge has the benefit of newly discovered letters that were exchanged between the lovers during their romance. Previously, historians had only an exchange of a few lengthy letters written some 15 years after the fact. Heloise and Abelard conduct an illicit affair, are caught by Heloise's uncle Fulbert, and the uncle eventually gets revenge by having Abelard castrated. The two lovers part ways, each going to live monastic religious existences, but Heloise never accepts this fate although she plays the part of abbess extremely well.

Abelard's teaching at the monastery eventually leads to charges of heresy by Bernard of Clairvaux. The battle between these two giants of the medieval chruch is Abelard's "faith with reason versus faith without reason" of Bernard. Bernard wins and Abelard is condemned for heresy.

The setting is 12th century "France' (although France did not quite exist yet) mainly in Paris and Brittany. Abelard is one the great philosophy teachers of the age, a master logician. Heloise is one of his more apt students. Abelard's unrelentingly antagonistic style of dialectics alienated his opponents. He seems not merely to have wanted to win his arguments, but to utterly destroy those who dared disagree with him. "Logic has made me hated by the world." Abelard justly had an immensely high opinion of himself as a thinker. He would no doubt be chagrined to know that today his fame stems largely from his relationship with Heloise rather than his teachings.

Abelard and Heloise conducted a most physically sensual love affair. Their love was no courtly romantic love. It was lusty and intense. On one occasion they even have sex in the church refectory! Even 15 years later as abbess of Argenteuil Heloise would write, "The name of wife may seem more sacred or more binding but sweeter for me will always be the word mistress, or, if you will permit me, that of concubine or whore.The name of mistress instead of wife would be dearer and more honourable for me, only love given freely, rather than the constriction of the marriage tie, is of significance to an ideal relationship." At that point Abelard futilely encourages Heloise to turn her love to God.

Burge annoyingly uses modern terms on occasion to get his point across and makes a few breathtakingly broad assertions that are not necessary to his tale ("all societies...tend to support the status quo"). On the whole, Burge tells the story in a captivating way with skillful use of the lovers own words and his own interpretations.

The story appeals to modern readers, in my opinion, not just because of the steamy aspects of the affair or because the lovers are forced apart, or due to the brutal injury done to Abelard, but because of Heloise's modernity in her views of sex. She unabashedly expresses her enjoyment of sex and refuses to repent for it.

Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars A True Medieval Love Story?.......2006-03-11

In this book, James Burge uses two sets of letters of Heloise and Abelard to tell the story of their forbidden love. The first set of letters is the collection of eight letters, including Abelard's autobiography, that was discovered shortly after their deaths. The second set is a collection of fragments from 113 letters written during the time of Heloise and Abelard that were compiled in the fifteenth centruy and only recently identified as having probably been written by the two lovers.

Who could not be fascinated by this tale of lovers who carried on a clandestine affair while Heloise was under the care of her Uncle Fulbert, a local canon? Their love affair is discovered, Heloise becomes pregnant and is sent to live with Abelard's family, then, after the baby is born, the two of them marry in a secret ceremony so as not to threaten Abelard's position in the church. Uncle Fulbert is still enraged by the insult to his family honor and in a vicious attack one night has Abelard castrated.

Burge is an enthusiastic advocate for Heloise, and attempts to rectify her consignment to being an historical footnote, known only for being Abelard's lover. I am never quite convinced that he has the same enthusiasm for Abelard, as most of his descriptions of Abelard focus on the philosopher's arrogance and self-centeredness. In fact, although Burge claims that we have all the evidence necessary to say that Abelard truly loved Heloise, he does not quite convince me of this. I almost came away from this book with the impression that, while Heloise might have loved Abelard intensely, Abelard was more of a lothario who seduced his young student and then, cruelly consigned her to a nunnery, ignoring her later implacations that he at least acknowledge the love they shared.

If Burge does not quite manage to make the case that Abelard truly loved Heloise, that is more due to his selection of and explication of the available evidence. He rhapsodizes over Heloise's writing, skills, and intellect; but the selections he gives us from Abelard's writing are more evidence of Abelard's ego than anything else.

Burge does a good job of describing the atmosphere of the time during which the two lovers lived, and also describing the effect and implications of Abelard's teachings upon the Catholic Church. The book is readable, although definitely written in a scholarly style.

I came away from it with a great deal of admiration for both Abelard and Heloise as individuals, and with sympathy for Heloise's love for Abelard. I just wish I had been able to gain the same sense of conviction for Abelard's love of Heloise.
The Letters and Other Writings
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    The Letters and Other Writings
    Peter Abelard , and Heloise
    Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0872208761

    Book Description

    The most comprehensive compilation of the works of Abelard and Heloise ever presented in a single volume in English, The Letters and Other Writings features an accurate and stylistically faithful new translation of both The Calamities of Peter Abelard and the remarkable letters it sparked between the ill-fated twelfth-century philosopher and his brilliant former student and lover -- an exchange whose intellectual passion, formal virtuosity, and psychological drama distinguish it as one of the most extraordinary correspondences in European history. Thanks to this edition, Latin-less readers will be better placed than ever to see why this undisputed milestone in the intellectual life of medieval France is also a masterpiece of Western literature.

    In addition to the The Calamities and the letters -- the first complete English translation of all seven in more than eighty years -- this volume includes an Introduction, a map, and a chronology, Abelard's Confession of Faith, letters between Heloise and Peter the Venerable, the Introduction to The Questions of Heloise, and selected songs and poems by Abelard, among them a previously untranslated "shaped" poem, "Open Wide Your Eyes." Extracts of "lost" letters sometimes ascribed to Abelard and Heloise are given in appendixes.
    The Letters of Abelard and Heloise
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Letters of Abelard and Heloise

      Manufacturer: Alfred A Knopf
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000EE07XW

      Product Description

      Here the dried bones of ABELARD & HELOISE reincarnate themselves in a far livelier garment of romantic flesh.
      Abelard & Heloise: The love letters, a poetical rendering
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Abelard & Heloise: The love letters, a poetical rendering
        Ella C Bennett
        Manufacturer: P. Elder & company
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Unknown Binding

        GeneralGeneral | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: B00085NDQK
        ABELARD & HELOISE: THE STORY OF HIS MISFORTUNES AND PERSONAL LETTERS.
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          ABELARD & HELOISE: THE STORY OF HIS MISFORTUNES AND PERSONAL LETTERS.

          Manufacturer: Folio Society
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000HKFQ16
          Abelard and Heloise
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Abelard and Heloise
            Peter Abelard
            Manufacturer: Gay & Hancock
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Unknown Binding
            ASIN: B0008CHE2M
            ABELARD AND HELOISE THE STORY OF HIS MISFORTUNES AND THE PERSONAL LETTERS
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              ABELARD AND HELOISE THE STORY OF HIS MISFORTUNES AND THE PERSONAL LETTERS
              Unknown
              Manufacturer: FOLIO
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000S5KOC6
              Abelard and Heloise: Love Letters, a Poetical Rendering
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Abelard and Heloise: Love Letters, a Poetical Rendering
                Ella C. Bennet
                Manufacturer: Paul Elder & Co.
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover
                ASIN: B000K6W0KC

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