Allegory and Sexual Ethics in the High Middle Ages

229 Pages·2007·0.93 MB·English

by  Noah D. Guynn (auth.)

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ALLEGORY AND SEXUAL
ETHICS IN THE HIGH
MIDDLE AGES
Noah D. Guynn
ALLEGORYANDSEXUALETHICSINTHEHIGHMIDDLEAGES
© Noah D. Guynn, 2007.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-4039-7147-0
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First published in 2007 by
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ISBN 978-1-349-53301-5 ISBN 978-0-230-60366-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230603660
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Guynn, Noah D.
Allegory and sexual ethics in the High Middle Ages/Noah D. Guynn.
p. cm.—(New Middle Ages)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-349-53301-5
1. Enéas (Romance) 2. Alanus, de Insulis, d. 1202. De planctu naturae,
3. Jean, de Meun, d. 1305? Roman de la Rose. 4. Allegory. 5. Sexual
ethics in literature. I. Title. II. Series: New Middle Ages
(Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))
PQ1459.E353G98 2006
841(cid:2).1—dc22 2006046048
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: March 2007
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Hugh
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Rhetoric, Evil, and Privation: From Augustine to
the “Persecuting Society” 17
2 Sodomy, Courtly Love, and the Birth of
Romance:Le Roman d’Eneas 51
3 Allegory and Perversion in Alan of
Lille’sDe Planctu Naturae 93
4 Authorship and Sexual/Allegorical Violence in
Jean de Meun’s Roman de la rose 137
Conclusion 171
Notes 175
Bibliography 199
Index 213