The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse

The story of the relationship between Abelard and Heloise is told through the letters of Peter Abelard, a French philosopher and one of the greatest logicians of the twelfth century, and of his gifted pupil Heloise. Through their impassioned writings unfolds the story of a romance, from its reckless, ecstatic beginnings through to public scandal, an enforced marriage and its devastating consequences. They also offer insight into religious life in the Middle Ages. This is the revised edition of Betty Radice's translation, in which Michael Clanchy, the biographer of Abelard, updates the scholarship on the letters and the lovers. This volume includes Abelard's autobiography and his spiritual advice to Heloise and her nuns, as well as a selection of the 'lost love letters' of Abelard and Heloise, letters between Heloise and Peter the Venerable, two of Abelard's hymns, a chronology, notes and maps.