Courtly Love
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21 pages in length. To define courtly love is to characterize the very essence of romance and chivalry, for both of these elements are indicative of the distinction between ordinary love and that which extols virtue, honor and courage by its very name. Famed writer C. S. Lewis defined courtly love as "Humility, Courtesy, Adultery, and the Religion of Love;" with this as a guideline, one can readily surmise that the comprehensive nature that was courtly love in its time encompassed a broad spectrum of characteristically inhuman traits that could only appear on the printed page of fictional literature. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Filename: TLCCrtLv.rtf

Courtly Love/Troyes & Maria de France
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A 3 page essay that begins by offering C.S. Lewis' definition of medieval courtly love. The writer then relates this definition to The Knight of the Lion by Chretien de Troyes and the Lais of Marie de France (both twelfth century writers). Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: khdetmof.rtf

Cretien De Troyes/Arthurian Romances
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A 5 page essay that examines the role that violence plays in Cretien de Troyes medieval Arthurian romances. The writer discusses how in his Arthurian romances, the worth of the hero, in this case, a knight, is largely based on his bravery in battle and his prowess as a warrior. Therefore, violence is intrinsically mixed with the narrative as much as love or romance. To win the lady, the knight must first win the battle. Summations of all five narratives are included. No additional sources cited.
Filename: khcdtar.rtf

Dark Ages Analyzed
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This 6 page research paper examines the historical period which has become known as the Dark Ages. Specifically explored is the prevalent society, including the standard of living, culture, religion and writing and language of the people. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Filename: Darkages.wps

David Herlihy's, "Medieval Households":
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This 5 page paper examines the research of David Herlihy and provides a basic summary of his work. Furthermore, this paper asserts that the work of Herlihy is important because it contributes a new perspective to the understanding of the family. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: GSMedhos.rtf

David Nirenberg/Communities of Violence
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A 5 page book review. In his text, Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages, historian David Nirenberg addresses the persecution of Jews, Muslims and lepers that occurred during the Shepherd's Crusade of 1320 and 1321 in the south of France and in the crown of Aragon (Spain). Nirenberg relates that the traditional perspective on the violence perpetrated against minorities during this period is that this violence was irrational. His principal thesis is that an alternative perspective--one endeavors to discern how the participants of this Crusade viewed their actions as rational--is more enlightening and offers insight. No additional sources cited.
Filename: khdnsc.rtf

De Troyes/Knight of the Lion & Individualism
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A 3 page essay that discusses individualism in De Troyes' The Knight of the Lion and in the twelfth century in general. The process of cultural evolution that eventually resulted in a societal emphasis on the rights, concerns and needs of the individual did not occur spontaneously, but rather began to emerge during the Middle Ages. In the twelfth century, Western society evolved a "new level of self-awareness," which manifested itself as greater "concern for the inner life" than was expressed in previous medieval eras (Kramer 18). At this time, a new sense of individualism can be seen in the literature of the period, such as the romances of Chretien de Troyes and his tale of The Knight of the Lion. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: khdtind.rtf

Decameron/Pampinea's View on Gender & Sex
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A 6 page essay that presents two tales from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. The writer focuses on two stories told by Pampinea, one of the women sojourners, and argues that these tales represent views of sex and gender that differed radically from the conventions of that time. No other sources cited.
Filename: khpamdec.rtf

Decameron/Pampinea's View on Gender & Sex
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A 6 page essay that presents two tales from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. The writer focuses on two stories told by Pampinea, one of the women sojourners, and argues that these tales represent views of sex and gender that differed radically from the conventions of that time. No other sources cited.
Filename: khdecgen.rtf