The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary love story, beautiful writing
Review: By any standard, the tale of Heloise and Abelard is an extraordinary story => brilliant young philosopher seduces brilliant beautiful student, passionate affair ensues, she gets pregnant, and they secretly marry -- but her relatives feel he has wronged her terribly, and in the middle of the night they break in and castrate him, after which both take refuge in the church. This book begins with a well-written introduction by Betty Radice, which gives an overview of the story. The letters, written years after the affair, are of great eloquence and depth of thought and feeling. Through them, the couple works to transform their 'earthly love'(which had continued to burn in Heloise's heart) into a spiritual bond that turns out to have similarly great passion and transcendence. Although the letters are steeped in religious debates and intrigues of the time, their beauty makes the love behind them seem as alive today as it was so many centuries ago ...

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Story
Review: I can't agree with those who claim that this is a beautiful and romantic love story. Sure, Abelard paid the romantically painful price of being castrated because of his relationship with Heloise, but my reading of the letters and of Betty Radice's excellent introduction leads me to believe that Abelard was castrated precisely because he had cast Heloise outb of his life. At the time that Heloise's angry uncle had Abelard castrated, she was already in a convent. We can only take it on faith that Abelard ever really meant to rescue her from that life. And once Abelard is castrated, he needs to be strongly prodded by Heloise before he will renew their relationship at any level. This is not my idea of a romantic story, even of torturously star-crossed lovers. In fact, Heloise seems to realize that Abelard was only interested in her for the sex when she accuses him of just that, suggesting that now that for him sex is an impossibility he has no use left for her. Indeed, were it not for the marvelously guilt-inducing plaintives from Heloise it is possible (probable?) that Abelard would have successfully managed to place her in his past. I understand and fully empathize with the trauma that Abelard must have went through, but there is no indication of a willingness on his part, even long after he should have come to terms with his situation, that he was prepared to make Heloise a significant part of his life. Even when Heloise was finally able to force herself back into Abelard's life, he was only willing to admit her there on a theological and phiosophical level. To me, the story of Heloise and Abelard is a story of an intelligent young woman who fell madly in love with an intelligent older (but still young) man, and who then paid a price brought on her by her love and her situation when HE proved unequal to the task. That being said, this edition of the letters is brilliantly introduced, and the letters (with the context of the introduction) will stir an emotional reaction.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Story
Review: This is a facinating medieval romance, which I had actually never heard about until I read this book. Now that I have, however, I highly recommend it. The romance of Abelard and Heloise is a well known classic in France--it is high time the rest of us heard about it, too.

The story of Abelard and Heloise is "star-crossed lovers" yarn akin to something out of Shakespeare. This is the story of Peter Abelard, an outstanding scholar from twelfth century France, and Heloise, a beautiful young girl with a reputation for brilliance. Abelard is impressed with her, and manages to talk her uncle into making her his pupil. They fall in love, and eventually are secretly married and have a child. However, Heloise's uncle becomes suspicious of Abelard's motives and has him castrated. Abelard seeks refuge in the monastic life, and insists that Heloise follow his example. In the midst of their hardships, they keep in touch through the letters contained in this book. The letters are beautifully written and really manage to bring the story to life.

And I would just like to add that I don't agree with the reviewers who criticized Abelard. Abelard was a fine man, and there are no real grounds for anyone to suspect him of deceit. Sure, he was reluctant to renew his relationship with Heloise, but that is completely understandable. He had been mutilated, for crying out loud--the guy was humiliated. If he didn't love her, why wouldn't he say so outright? He had nothing to gain from lying. Cut the poor man a break! He was persecuted viciously enough during his lifetime. Do you people really have to keep pecking at him a thousand years after his death? Stop trying to turn a classic love story into an episode of Jerry Springer, okay? Potential readers, please don't let a few overly suspicious critics fool you--the book's demmed good. Buy it now!

Rating:
Summary: Heloises Words Still Ring True
Review: What amazed me about this book, is that Heloise, a 12th century woman raised in a convent, expressed her sexuality with such openess. Her emotions come alive. Readers of the 21st century will be able to relate to her feelings.

She never stopped loving Abelard. Even after he entered a monastery and she a convent. They corresponded until his death. She wrote that the memories of their lovemaking haunted her, even during prayer sessions at the convent.

This is a must read for history fans and romantics.

Rating:
Summary: Everlasting Love!
Review: When a subject is as ineffably touching as the love story of Abelard and Heloise, it'll drive you continuously to dig more and deeper into the story. So after the novel "Stealing Heaven" by Marion Meade, the film based on the novel entitled with the same name, as well as the poignant musical "Rage Of The Heart" by Enrico Garzilli, in which Peter Abelard was sung by Michael Ball and Heloise by Janet Mooney, I read the book "The Letter Of Peter Abelard And Heloise". If all of the previous works I have encountered are artworks carrying more or less the creators' imaginations as well as their biases, then this book of letters, not only a true documentation of these two extraordinary human minds, but also a true portrayal of these two extraordinary human souls, provides the resources where you could reach the truth and make the judgment of your own.

Peter Abelard is a far more complicated human being than any artwork could deal. This is a man who was blessed with talent that's so distinctive, born with the charisma that's so appealing, and yet, tormented by the tragedy that's most appalling. The letters included reveal the connections of Abelard and Heloise years after both of them took vow to monastery life. You'd feel that the tragic consequence of their love relationship had created a different Abelard, from whom the words were more focused on his devotion to God and his advice to Heloise on the same subject, also his keenness on the his study, and his somewhat apathy towards their previous relationship, for which it could be easily mistaken as selfishness or indifference. But it'd be very unfair to blame Abelard for negligence. If we are able to see that this is a man who had suffered unimaginable infliction and unbearable humiliation, for which he himself believed to be the punishment for his sin, it becomes all so understandable of his words of remorse and his dedication. I believe that after the tragedy, he tried to hide his pain and forget the past in order to re-live his life. After all, he had paid the highest price for his love to Heloise. However, despite all these, his deep love and emotions towards Heloise could not be concealed but be felt between the lines written to her and from the Historia calamitatum: The Story of His Misfortunes, written by Abelard to a friend. Although their love that once reached its peak was forced to come to an end so suddenly, later on through letters it had been restored in an unusual spiritual way and on a new level of depth.

Heloise, an equally extraordinary human being as Abelard, on the other hand, was simpler and more straightforward, and yet, with a mind that's almost as acute and a heart that's braver and more passionate. When disaster struck upon these two lovers, she took the veil and entered the abbey in obedience to his wishes, only for her love to Abelard. Her sentimentality could be fully felt from her emotional outpouring of tears, grieves, and longings in the letters. The walls of Abbey never stopped her from loving Abelard, to whom the love she confessed and never denied to be beyond her love to God. Her perspective about true love is most incisive. Her talking about sensuality of flesh is very frank. When responding to Abelard on the subject of virtue and chastity, her strong arguments and copious quotations from various resources are simply brilliant. This is a woman, who had an exceptional beauty both inside and outside as well as the most admiring courage, that can't be judged conventionally.

The text translation is eloquent, literary, and beautiful. These letters, once were written many centuries ago and once were the only connection between two passionate hearts, are still compelling to read nowadays. In their own words, they told the story, in which they were teacher and student; friend and lover; husband and wife; brother and sister; and ultimately, two inseparable souls.