Religion+and+Courtly+Love+Research+Paper

“Romantic Expressions” or ideas of love did not begin in the 19th century. Scholars have provided endless amounts of literature and other evidences that prove that ideas of love where present during the middle ages, a time where Christianity was the leading force. Courtly love’s literature and life style was influenced by Roman Catholic Church. Courtly love’s sensuality, passion, and social aspirations made it carnal, and its religion was seen as a parody of the Church. The term “Courtly love” came from Gaston Parris’ 1883 journal // Romania //. The term “courtly love” was referred to as “amour courtois”, "Amour Honestus" (Honest Love) and "Fin Amor" (Refined Love). Some scholars have theorized that courtly love was first expressed in Southern France during the end of the eleventh century by French troubadours. Denomy theorized that”… the troubadours took their morality of love from the Arabs and were able to maintain it alongside the norms of Christian morality.” (Denomy, 45) The troubadours created styles of poetry that celebrated human love, mainly the love of the poet (always a man) for an older, sociably established, and extraordinary lady. ** Carnal: ** // “Carnal–adjective1.pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; sensual: carnal pleasures.2.not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly: a man of secular, rather carnal, leanings.”(Dictionary, 2011) // Before this time, expressions of love did not occur outside of the church. The church put much emphasis on the agape love, the love of all human, and platonic love, which is brotherly or sisterly love. Courtly love, according to Alexander Denomy, // “…was not Platonic but carnal in its intent despite the fact that it remained ideally unfulfilled” (Moller, 40). //Courtly love was full of passion, which was forbidden by the Church//. T //he literature of the Church was anti-feminist, while the Courtly Love’s Literature was devoted to the glorification of women. “In religion, the sinner is penitent and asks that Mary intercede on his behalf with Christ, who is Love. In courtly love, the sinner (against the laws of love) asks the mother of the love god, Cupid's mother Venus, to intercede on his behalf with Cupid or Eros, who is the god of love. So this new love religion seems to parody real religion” (Delahoyde, Courtly Love). For years scholars have argued the intent of Courtly Love or Fin Amor. Some argue that courtly love is nothing more but spiritual connection, with use of sensual metaphor. While some scholars believe that some relationships exceeded past the boundaries, there is little evidence to prove consummation was a common act. While participation in sex is questionable, the fact that lustful acts were fantasized about is evident it the writing of the troubadours. “// Merely to see her is enough for some of them; other will be contented with a tuft of fur from her mantle or a few threads from her glove. Others, it is true, speak of undressing their lady, of gazing at her naked body, of caressing it, or clasping it to them, but scarcely ever do they suggest complete possession // //. //// Says one: "He knows nothing of 'donnoi' who wants fully to possess his lady” (Fauriel, 1849). //  Not only were lustful thoughts evident, some troubadours seem to have a mother fixation on their beloved// . //Making child like references were common in works Betran de Born who compares his love relationship with a cradle, like Heinrich von Veldeke who// ,”...fears his beloved like a child who fears his punishing mother: “ I am afraid of the good one as a child of the birch”(Moller, 43). It also a good idea to mention that several poets also connected their relationships to recollections of spanking. //Some scholars have argued that the mother fixation of the troubadour supported the nonsexual intentions of the troubadours, out of fear of incest. Others argued the fixation has no effect on their sinful desires, which keeps// fin amour //as Denomy states-carnal. The troubadours’ devotion and obsession to females and motherly figures, literally, is similar to devotion Christians have to Jesus, who was referred to, figuratively, as the “mother”. Did the troubadours replace the motherly image of Jesus with real women? Was this another great reason for the Church to oppose the ideas of court Herbert Muller also argued that courtly love was not just about love. The troubadours understood that their adored females had the power to take them to their desired social status. They understood that the incentive for their devotion was entrance into “courtly circles” or social elevation. (Moller, 47) // Muller mentions that feelings of “joy” were associated with the confidence of being accepted by their beloved and being accepted into a superior social class.” Joy as an expression of the ideal feeling state of the courtly person, “high mindedness”…active, self-assertive, and invigorated by the feeling of pride befitting a member of noble or knightly society” //(Moller, 47) Again we see Christian words associated with secular meaning. The word “joy” that is often associated with the spiritual and supernatural things is seen here expressed carnally. Joy came from achieving high accolades, being well groomed, being courteous, having great manners-being a gentle. This was their idea of purification. Through the process of courtly love, their school of learning where their beloved was the teacher, they were able to get rid of the things that did not fit into the mold of noble men. All these concepts are against the beliefs of the Church. ** Hersey? ** There were some common influences that seemed to unite the troubadours with the Cathars. They both coexisted in the same Occitan Regions for two centuries and lived in the same societies. They both had similar beliefs about marriage and seen women as superior beings. Both groups were matrists.** // “Their heresy which the Church was fighting was matrism=the only thing which offers an absolutely fundamental threat to pratism.” // ( Muller, 13) **According to Muller, the Cathar’s and troubadour’s involvement with death, worship of chastity, were not normal to the Church. The growth of matrism within the patrist culture contributed to Cathar’s and Troubadours “borrowings from Christianity. To gain back control over a wide spreading “heresy”, the Church got on defense and began a war against heresy. (Muller, 14). Courtly love became its on religion. Its ideology was a parody to the Catholic Church. In the 13th century, the Albigensian Crusade wiped out Troubadours and Cathars.  There is no doubt that the Troubadours ideas of courtly love had a major influence of Southern France and other regions in the medieval times. From the later 11th century to the 13th century, courtly love evolved from mystic and spiritual aspect to a sensual and social-political aspect. It’s influences from, and its influences on the Church has been evident it several writings. It influence along with those of the Cathars became so popular that a crusade was needed to stop effects of courtly love. Religion and Courtly Love ** Work Cited: ** Carnal | Define Carnal at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. .  "Carnal | Define Carnal at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/carnal>   <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Delahoyde, Michael. "Courtly Love." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington.   <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Fauriel, C. Histoire de la Poesie provencale. Paris, 1846. <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Moller, Herbert. "The Meaning of Courtly Love." American Folklore (1960): 39-52. Print. <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Washington State University. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/medieval/love.html>.