Courtly Site

Holding it Straight: Sexual Orientation in the Middle Ages

cortesia — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 17:50:03 +0000

Historians tend to be reticent about applying the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ to periods before the nineteenth century, but should we be so quick to dismiss the concept? Focusing on depictions of virgins and sodomites — two seemingly opposing categories — this talk explores how medieval encounters with sex were shaped by concepts of space and orientation. (From Soundcloud)

A lecture by Dr Robert Mills, UCL History of Art, Autumn 2013 (video)

Bob Mills also appeared in Inside Medieval Mind BBC documentary series, episode Sex, speaking about medieval sodomy.

Representing sodomy in the Middle Ages – Dr Bob Mills

cortesia — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 17:18:51 +0000

While sodomy in Medieval Britain and Europe was seemingly regarded as unmentionable, artists developed strategies of depicting taboo practices. Dr Robert Mills (UCL History of Art) examines an era of art history that has hitherto been much neglected in studies of forbidden sexual practices and images of judgment and punishment. (From Soundcloud)

Bob Mills also appeared in Inside Medieval Mind BBC documentary series, episode Sex, speaking about medieval sodomy.

Music:
‘Pange Lingua Gloria’ by Josquin des Pres (1440-1521)
‘In Principio Erat Verbum’ by Josquin des Pres
‘Mystery of the Runes’ by Paul Mottram

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Translated by J. R. R. Tolkien, read by Terry Jones

cortesia — Thu, 01 May 2014 14:34:48 +0000

A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour. Read by Terry Jones. The unabridged version length is 4.5 hours, and can be purchased here.
[excerpt↓]

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl are two poems by an unknown author written in about 1400.
Sir Gawain is a romance, a fairy-tale for adults, full of life and colour; but it is also much more than this, being at the same time a powerful moral tale which examines religious and social values.
Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child, a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but, like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less tangible matters.
Sir Orfeo is a slighter romance, belonging to an earlier and different tradition. It was a special favourite of Tolkien’s.
Read modernized versions of translations:
Gawain by A. S. Kline in PDF or azw3, mobi, ePub (zip file).
Pearl by Bill Stanton.
The Tale of Sir Orfeo

Featured image by ©Sascha Duensing http://sirius-sdz.deviantart.com/

Peire Vidal “Pos vesem que l’ivern s’irais”

cortesia — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:35:50 +0000

Interpretation by a French medieval music performer, Maurice Moncozet. This singer and multi-instrumentalist focuses on the relationship between Western medieval music and traditional music from the Mediterranean basin.
Official website

Featured image by ©Sascha Duensing http://sirius-sdz.deviantart.com/

Inside Medieval Mind: Sex by Robert Bartlett

cortesia — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:43:49 +0000

Leading authority on the Middle Ages, Professor Robert Bartlett presents a series which examines the way we thought during medieval times. He unearths remarkable evidence of the complex passions of medieval men and women. The Church preached hatred of the flesh, promoted the cult of virginity and condemned woman as the sinful heir to Eve. Yet this was the era that gave birth to the idea of romantic love. (BBC)

Robert tells the tragic story of the real life lovers Abelard and Héloise – Abelard the great scholar, Héloise the niece of a canon at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Their love letters from the 12th century are astonishing in their frankness, passion and willingness to break conventions. (OpenUniversity)

The Troubadour’s Lady Reconsidered Again by Don A. Monson

cortesia — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:19:22 +0000

The Troubadour’s Lady Reconsidered Again
Author(s): Don A. Monson
Source: Speculum, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Apr., 1995), pp. 255-274
Published by: Medieval Academy of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2864893

This article can be retrieved from JSTOR digital library.

Courtly Love and Courtliness by A. Denomy

cortesia — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 22:48:00 +0000

A substantial article for understanding key characteristics of Courtly love and its distinction from Courtliness. You will learn about its origins, influences, crucial terms, and its principles demonstrated by quotations of significant authors.

Courtly Love and Courtliness
Author(s): Alexander J. Denomy
Source: Speculum, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Jan., 1953), pp. 44-63
Published by: Medieval Academy of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2847180

This article can be retrieved from JSTOR digital library.