Changing Attitudes Toward Devotion and Duty in Western Literature
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the literary tradition of courtly love and a number of its twentieth-century reinterpretations to see how it has changed in response to modern problems. The study also included an investigation as to how courtly love has affected different writers, and why certain writers have turned to the tradition in times of distress. A final discussion is provided on what we can expect from changing perceptions about this tradition, given that much of our military tradition is based on chivalric ideals as well as courtly love. The two main sources that were investigated for the origins of courtly love were the troubadour lyrics of Guilhem IX of Aquitaine and Andreas Capellanus's De Arte Honeste Amandi, or the Art of Courtly Love. The relationships between men and women were established as a literary tradition in the love poetry of the troubadours, while Andreas provided a codified set of rules to follow later in the twelfth century. The first of the twentieth-century writers that were investigated was C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Allegory of Love in 1936. His study of allegory included a section on the development of courtly love in which he discusses the growth of a love religion which was responsible for diverting many people from true love of God.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA227246
Entities
People
- Jonathan L. Salkoff
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy