Official Blog of History 121, Western Civilization to 1600
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Heloise and Abelard (Extra Credit)
Choose one or two of the letters of Heloise and Abelard at the link here. What did you find particularly interesting in these letters? Does anything particularly surprise you?
I read letter II, Heloise to Abelard and I was very surprised! Heloise seems madly in love with Abelard, even though I think he wasn’t always faithful to her, but she claimed to never be jealous. She would rather live a life loving a man like Abelard, even if he had mistresses because he treated them so well! In her letter, she told Abelard that she wanted to marry him, and that it was the very least he could do since he got them in this position in the first place. Heloise also loves Abelard so much; she only wants to continue loving him to get revenge on her cruel uncle. It really surprised me how to what depths Heloise went to explain her love to Abelard, and all of her thoughts. One thing that I loved about this letter is how Heloise is longing for his letters; she wants them because even though she has a picture of him it’s just a mute representation of him. But with these letters it is like they can be together again, and share each other’s most personal thoughts. It is like they can be together from afar, and she thinks that after her sacrificing her life to the covenant, he owes her this. She also things marrying her is the least he can do as well; very demanding! Another thing I love from this letter and found very interesting is Heloise’s dedication to Abelard. How she is willing to be a nun for the rest of her life, to prove to Abelard that she will never love another man, and that she is devoted to him until the day she dies, where she wants her ashes kept until he dies so they can be spread together, to once again prove her love for him. To me it’s just amazing; you don’t meet too many people now days that have such a devotion to someone, such faithfulness and dedication, it’s very surprising. But maybe it’s not so surprising, “I often told you even then that I was more pleased with possessing your heart than with any other happiness, and the man was the thing I least valued in you.” –Heloise- . After reading that quote, Heloise dedication isn’t so surprising. That what love and marriage should be about, someone’s heart and soul, not their physical features or sex.
I also read Letter II. What I found most interesting about this letter was the amount of passion that was put into writing this. As the letter starts out, it is easy to tell the amount of grief there is from not being with Abelard but as it continues it turns more conversational and Heloise almost becomes more comforted, kind of like she is actually talking to him face to face. Also, when told of this story in class, I imagined their love to be more of an intellectual love where their letters were more casual and talked more about their day to day lives and desire for each other, but by reading these letters it is easy to tell that I was wrong and that the letters were proclaiming their love, devotion, commitment, struggles, and desires to each other. With so much truth and vulnerability in these letters it is obvious of the passion and love that was between Heloise and Abelard. What surprised me was the simple fact of how long the letter was. It is hard to imagine love letters any more as letter writing has become a thing of the past, but also it is hard to even imagine a letter with such length, detail, and honesty to one's love.
I decided to read letter III since letter II had been read twice. I did previously read through the last two comment so I would have a little understanding of what the next letter was going to be about. I expected the letter III to a return love letter full of 'love' in detail, but after I read it, I was very surprised about the outcome. I don't know if I would even consider letter III to be a 'love letter,' it seemed more like a 'hate letter' to me. Abelard seemed so mad and Heloise for becoming a nun, and now she was not going to be able to show her love to him. Although I did happen to find some love inside the letter. "How can I separate form the person I love the passion I should detest? Will the tears I shed be sufficient to render it odious to me? I know not how it happens, there is always a pleasure in weeping for a beloved object." I thought this was a very good quote to show that Abelard may still truly love Heloise. I also enjoyed the very last page of this love letter "You shall see me in that condition, to demand tears from you, for it will be too late; weep rather for me now and extinguish the fire which burns me. You shall see me in order that your piety may be strengthened by horror of this carcase, and my death be eloquent to tell you what you brave when you love a man. I hope you will be willing, when you have finished this mortal life, to be buried near me. Your cold ashes need then fear nothing, and my tomb shall be the more rich and renowned." I thought this was very sweet and something that you would never hear from anyone in a relationship!
Letter II – Heloise to Abelard
ReplyDeleteBy Kelsey Reis
I read letter II, Heloise to Abelard and I was very surprised! Heloise seems madly in love with Abelard, even though I think he wasn’t always faithful to her, but she claimed to never be jealous. She would rather live a life loving a man like Abelard, even if he had mistresses because he treated them so well! In her letter, she told Abelard that she wanted to marry him, and that it was the very least he could do since he got them in this position in the first place. Heloise also loves Abelard so much; she only wants to continue loving him to get revenge on her cruel uncle. It really surprised me how to what depths Heloise went to explain her love to Abelard, and all of her thoughts.
One thing that I loved about this letter is how Heloise is longing for his letters; she wants them because even though she has a picture of him it’s just a mute representation of him. But with these letters it is like they can be together again, and share each other’s most personal thoughts. It is like they can be together from afar, and she thinks that after her sacrificing her life to the covenant, he owes her this. She also things marrying her is the least he can do as well; very demanding!
Another thing I love from this letter and found very interesting is Heloise’s dedication to Abelard. How she is willing to be a nun for the rest of her life, to prove to Abelard that she will never love another man, and that she is devoted to him until the day she dies, where she wants her ashes kept until he dies so they can be spread together, to once again prove her love for him. To me it’s just amazing; you don’t meet too many people now days that have such a devotion to someone, such faithfulness and dedication, it’s very surprising.
But maybe it’s not so surprising, “I often told you even then that I was more pleased with possessing your heart than with any other happiness, and the man was the thing I least valued in you.” –Heloise- . After reading that quote, Heloise dedication isn’t so surprising. That what love and marriage should be about, someone’s heart and soul, not their physical features or sex.
I also read Letter II. What I found most interesting about this letter was the amount of passion that was put into writing this. As the letter starts out, it is easy to tell the amount of grief there is from not being with Abelard but as it continues it turns more conversational and Heloise almost becomes more comforted, kind of like she is actually talking to him face to face.
DeleteAlso, when told of this story in class, I imagined their love to be more of an intellectual love where their letters were more casual and talked more about their day to day lives and desire for each other, but by reading these letters it is easy to tell that I was wrong and that the letters were proclaiming their love, devotion, commitment, struggles, and desires to each other. With so much truth and vulnerability in these letters it is obvious of the passion and love that was between Heloise and Abelard.
What surprised me was the simple fact of how long the letter was. It is hard to imagine love letters any more as letter writing has become a thing of the past, but also it is hard to even imagine a letter with such length, detail, and honesty to one's love.
Kelsey Luckhurst
Letter III
ReplyDeleteAbelard to Heloise
I decided to read letter III since letter II had been read twice. I did previously read through the last two comment so I would have a little understanding of what the next letter was going to be about. I expected the letter III to a return love letter full of 'love' in detail, but after I read it, I was very surprised about the outcome.
I don't know if I would even consider letter III to be a 'love letter,' it seemed more like a 'hate letter' to me. Abelard seemed so mad and Heloise for becoming a nun, and now she was not going to be able to show her love to him.
Although I did happen to find some love inside the letter. "How can I separate form the person I love the passion I should detest? Will the tears I shed be sufficient to render it odious to me? I know not how it happens, there is always a pleasure in weeping for a beloved object." I thought this was a very good quote to show that Abelard may still truly love Heloise.
I also enjoyed the very last page of this love letter "You shall see me in that condition, to demand tears from you, for it will be too late; weep rather for me now and extinguish the fire which burns me. You shall see me in order that your piety may be strengthened by horror of this carcase, and my death be eloquent to tell you what you brave when you love a man. I hope you will be willing, when you have finished this mortal life, to be buried near me. Your cold ashes need then fear nothing, and my tomb shall be the more rich and renowned." I thought this was very sweet and something that you would never hear from anyone in a relationship!