Courtly Love [Amour courtois]

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

Ed. by Hugh Magennis, Queen's University Belfast
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.01: French Writing and Culture: Old French to the Middle Ages , 500-1400.
Vol. editors: Marianne Ailes (University of Bristol), Matthew Siôn Lampitt (University of Cambridge), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1100-1300

Places

France (Location)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Recommended Reading

Courtly love is the name given to a set of conventions which are expressed in the poetic literature which appeared in Aquitaine, in south-west France, in the early twelfth century and then became pervasive in Europe for nearly two hundred years. Generally such poetry expressed the admiration of an aristocratic lover for a chaste but unobtainable lady.

Troubadour poetry

[See also Troubadours.] Vernacular courtly love poetry appeared without any apparent precedent in the works of Guilhelm de Peitieu (le Neuf), or Duke William IX of Aquitaine (1071-1127), the first Occitan troubadour poet. The earliest of his verses that survives is a rather …

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5731 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Courtly Love [Amour courtois]". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1378, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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