Opposition to the Sixteenth and Seventeeth Century English Family of Love

Love as a concept in general has evolved greatly over the several millennia of human civilization, but in particular the concept of courtly love has changed greatly in perception. Courtly love is the concept of a noble and pure but illicit love, often between a knight or nobleman and a married noblewoman. Courtly love was seen as a beautiful thing in the high Middle Ages, but throughout the late Middle Ages and on to modern times the concept of courtly love has taken on much more negative contexts; being seen as, among other things, infidelity, extramarital affairs, cheating, and adultery. Currently, there are many varying viewpoints on whether courtly love is wrong or not, but in the high Middle Ages it was seen as noble and pure.

First of all, Coontz begins her article by focusing on Ancient societies such as Ancient Greek and France during the Middle Ages, and how they shared the belief that marrying for love was a symptom of insanity. Falling in love in ancient India was viewed as being disruptive. She goes on to talk about how adultery was idealized in Europe, often being seen as the highest form of affection

Kind Hearted Women (Sutherland, 2013) is a documentary that attempts to portray what it means to be a Native American in modern times. It uncovers how child abuse and domestic violence tainted the life of one woman on an Indian reservation. Robin Charboneau, the protagonist of the film, becomes a whistleblower of the dysfunctional tribal council system. As she seeks help and advocates for her family, she faces the scars from her own past and starts on a journey full of learning, growing and healing.

The Middle Ages is the time of discovery of courtly love and it became a very dominant period in arts, philosophy, and even religion. As illustrated by the many stories in existence about the Middle Ages, love was a target that one could successfully obtain. The woman was seen as something that could be owned and possessed by a man (Muir, 72). If a man was to profess attraction to a woman, the woman was expected to drop everything and take the man to bed immediately. In the case of married couples, some secrets would destroy a marriage. Many stories of this period revolve around actions of revenge resulting from forbidden affairs or betrayal. Today, the concept of love has changed and it is described like a fairy tale. The man has to get a girl after the completion of an almost impossible task (Glendinning 101). Some aspects in the middle ages have continue into the present time although with a bit of modification. For instance, one individual in the relationship is expected to rule over the home while the other, often the woman is expected to keep the room tidy and meet the needs of the other and obeying every command (Herlihy 112). This is wrong as both individuals should provide the necessary effort in making the relationship work and this can only be possible with compromise.

Chrétien appears to be the first northern singer taking Provencal lyrics as a model (Mott 24) following basic patterns like describing Enide as incredibly beautiful, but he does not strictly stick to it and alters the ideas of courtly love, for example, by changing positions in terms of power in Erec and Enide. (Mott

Till Death Do Us Part: Courtly Love in the Middle Ages The Medieval Times were a terrible time to live in. There was sickness and gloom everywhere and happiness seemed nowhere to be found. Then the idea of courtly love came about and happiness seemed to be restored throughout the land. It consumed everyone’s time and thoughts as men constantly lusted over women.

The degradation of the married woman in the Victorian era existed not only in that she was stripped of all her legal rights but also that no obligations were placed in her realm. Upon marriage, Victorian brides relinquished all rights to property and personal wealth to their husbands. Women were, under the law, “legally incompetent and irresponsible.” A married woman was entitled to no legal recourse in any matter, unless it was sponsored and endorsed by her husband. Helpless in the eyes of civil authority, the married woman was in the same category with “criminals, lunatics, and minors” (Vicinus 7). Eighteenth-century, English jurist, William Blackstone curtly described her legal

While chivalric love may seem perfect, it is in fact flawed and not the best choice of love for modern participants because of its numerous prejudices and inequities. The medieval time period (5th to 15th century) chose to exhibit in literature, chivalric love (or courtly love) as a better choice of love than regular methods. so much to the point that in some places, chivalric love became the norm. However as time passed, it was exemplified that regular love was “quicker” and “easier” if not more practical and reasonable.

The Romantic era was an intellectual and artistic movement that started in Europe just before the end of the 18th century. That era was at his peak at 1800 to 1840. It was a reaction for the age of enlightenment, which was from England. The romantic era had an impact on music, arts and literature (Boundless). Furthermore, it had a major impact on history, education and politics. During the romantic era, a lot of great composers emerged like the German composer Felix Mendelssohn. He was born on February 3,1809, in Hamburg, Germany. He was born into a wealthy Jewish family. He was the son of Abraham Mendelssohn and Lea Salomon. He was the grandson of Moses Mendelssohn, which was a Great German Jewish Enlightenment philosopher. He was the second of four children. His parent discovered his music talent very soon and

The Romantic Era is what is deemed the beginning, starting with the French Revolution in 1789 and ending with the passing of the Great Reform Bill in 1832. One key area in which the influence of the French Revolution manifests itself is in the satiric poetry of the period. Romantic period derives from its name from Romanticism. Romanticism was a rebellion against the current classical rules governing creative work. Followers of the Romantic ideal believed the innermost emotions should be expressed, art should please the senses, and imagination was more important than reason. Romantics also had a deep connection with the past and often revisited historical tales in their art, writing, and music. The years 1820-1825 served as a transition period

During the Romantic Era from 1800 to 1850, the socio-economic split between the people in society had a dramatic impact on the education of children. Many working class children wanted to gain more intelligence through guidance, but due to the Industrial Revolution causing dependency on factories and mass production, they had to sacrifice learning for labor-intensive jobs. Students in the middle and lower classes were limited to certain levels of education due to personal fortitude and the cost of school before eventual reforms. Lower class students had none or minimal opportunities to attend schools to obtain a proper education due to the various expectations, and in comparison, middle class adolescents obtained formal schooling to have more

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the marriage was increasing based on affection instead of on male authority. Romantic love began to play an important role at that time. During courtship, the woman can judge the reliability and character of the man. It meant that women had more authority and freedom in choosing a partner. Another change was that self-sufficient farming was gradually replaced by wage labor. Husbands began to work for enterprises to earn money instead of planting crops and wives took care of children, prepared meals and did other household chores at home. In this way, women got more authority at home. In addition, the number of children declined and thus the size of the family became smaller. Today, the picture is different.

Twicknam Garden was a poem written by John Donne in 1607. It is one of

Mary Poovey’s “The True English Style” is an easy to follow analysis of the themes and philosophical difference between marriage and love, particularly in the regency era, from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Immediately Poovey states her thesis which does away with a presentism reading and discuss social/moral issues in the era of Jane Austen also known as the regency era.

Are men and women equal? Women were and still are the most stereotypical human beings. Women’s have been viewed from the view point of being the most beautiful creation, to being fragile, weak and pretty much useless. Women were said to belong at homes. They were to become housewives, to become nurses, people takers, and only good for house works. They were looked down upon. As François Poullain stated, “Let every Man be asked his Thoughts of Women and that he would surely confess his Mind; he will tell you without doubt, That they were not made but for Man; That they are fit for nothing, but to Nurse; and Breed little Children in their Low Age; and to mind the House.” Women were viewed as simply nothing, no good for anything.