Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The

By Abelard, Pierre

Book Id: WPLBN0002952575
Format Type:
File Size: 103.78 MB
Reproduction Date: 2008

Title:	Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The
Author:	Abelard, Pierre
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, Romance
Collections:	Audio Books Collection, Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The
Historic Publication Date:	1901
Publisher:	LibriVox Audio Books


Citation APA MLA Chicago Abelard, B. P., & Heloise,. (1901). Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Heloise was a strong-willed and gifted woman who was fluent in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and came from a lower social standing than Abelard. At age 19, and living under her uncle Fulbert's roof, Heloise fell in love with Abelard, who she was studying under. Not only did they have a clandestine affair of a sexual nature, they had a child, Astrolabe, out of wedlock. Discovered by the Fulbert (who was a Church official), Abelard was assaulted by a hired thug and castrated, and Heloise entered a convent. Abelard was exiled to Brittany, where he lived as monk. Eventually Heloise became abbess of the Oratory of the Paraclete, an abbey which Abelard had founded. It was at this time that they exchanged their famous letters, presented in this book. The letters, originally written in Latin, are passionate both in the remembrance of lost love, and the attempt to reconcile that love with their respective monastic duty to remain chaste. The tension between these two poles generates a huge amount of emotional electricity. (Summary by J. B. Hare)

Summary
Electronic recorded live performance of a reading

Excerpt
Romance