Medieval Romance and Courtly Love

The love element, while not necessary for a romance (adventure alone can be considered romantic), is nearly always present in medieval versions, and of a particular kind. What we now consider courtly love began in the middle of the twelfth century, when a "woman-worship" arose, stemming from the worship of the Virgin Mary (235).

The troubadours, even before this period, had built up a tradition "that every knight must have a mistress and every married woman a cavalier" (235). It is Chretien de Troyes, under the patronage of Marie of Champagne, who is credited with creating the most famous love figure--Lancelot and his love for Guenivere. Chretien and Marie "caused love to become the supreme topic of French romance and courtly conventional love the chief type" (236).

What the "courtly" designation did to love was elevate it to an art form. No longer was love merely an emotion. Women were supreme, and the essence of love was not passion or regard but devotion. Love could not be exaggerated, since it was the lover's role to satisfy every whim of his lady. Fidelity and service were the ultimate goals of love (237).

Previously in epic poetry, adventures were taken in the interest of service to a nation; as the "courtly love" element gained popularity adventures were taken in the interest of service to a woman. "The idea that the fruits of combat should be female recognition was so extraordinary, so contrary to any sense of history, that a special court had to be created for the romance where such a concept was acceptable, namely the court of King Arthur" (Jackson 17).

Courtly love was defined by many rules (often contradictory). The French aristocracy was in love with love, and love became a law unto itself. Reports were even made of "Courts of Love," where "influential ladies" presided and passed judgements on infringements, although such courts most likely never existed (Taylor 239).

Courtly love was a refined, specialized form of the love element and can be traced back to Ovid and his Ars Amatoria, where "the whole art of love was classified in a simple, logical, and systematic style, eminently suited to French tastes" (237). Many translations were made and Ovid's work influenced many poets, along with providing the stimulus for similar works. Such works included Andre le Chapelain's The Three Books of Love, a "scientific and philosophical treatise on the whole subject of love" (238), De Arte Honeste Amandi by Andreas Capellanus, and La Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun.

English romance

Romance originated in France, and therefore reflects French tastes; it was written by poets skilled in adapting the old oral legends to suit French sentiments.

When English poets began writing romance they based their work on French versions, but possessed far less skill than their French counterparts. Also, French romance was written mostly to satisfy upper classes, and so reflected sentiments suited to such an audience. The early English poets were writing for a lower class, and so the themes of the upper French classes did not carry over effectively.

"The bulk of English romance was an adaptation of literature designed for the higher classes of a foreign race to suit the tastes of the lower classes in England" (148). There is no evidence for attempts at romance before the thirteenth century; Norse invasions and Norman rule prevented any real effort (148-49). When poets finally began composing it was under the influence of France. Because French was the dominant language and French romance the dominant literature in England, "English" romance was that written for the lower, uneducated classes who did not understand French.

These audiences were more interested in stories of "physical activity and feats of strength" as opposed to aristocratic French audiences who preferred stories of courtliness and gallantry (151). Since the source of English romance was the French, yet the English romancers possessed no understanding or appreciation of courtly love sentiments, the attempted re-creation of French romances into English resulted in inferior work. "The Middle English romances...usually show less artistry, less attention to psychological treatment, less sophistication, more credulity and use of the grotesque, and a higher moral tone than the French" (Harmon 311).

The very best English romances were those written by accomplished poets for the upper classes, although this did not occur until the fourteenth century when English began to replace French as the national language. As nationalistic pride began to develop, the aristocracy began to desire an "English" literature and language, and the skilled poets (who before had written in French and therefore understood the finesse of French romance--a la Chaucer) began producing the first worthy English romances. Even so, English tastes still privileged physical ability over love, although the love element did remain.