Heloïse & Abelard: Sexting, Consent And Female Agency In The Medieval Period

About

If you've heard of Heloise and Abelard, you've probably heard of them in the context of a medieval star crossed love affair, but this one dimensional narrative fails to account for the extraordinary amount of agency and self possession that Heloise displayed throughout her life.

Heloise was not only a lady of letters, a philosopher and eventually a high ranking Catholic Abess. Abelard, a famous philosopher and theologian, was appointed to be Heloise's teacher by her rich uncle, in twelfth-century Paris. The two had a secret affair which resulted with Heloise's pregnancy and the secret birth of their son, who was raised by Abelard's sister. The couple then married, but when Heloise's uncle heard the news he was so enraged that he sent his men to Abelard's home in the middle of the night where they caught and castrated him. And this is just the starting point for their incredible story.

Their story survived through the letters the couple exchanged later in their lives, which they spent living apart in monasteries. These letters, at times steamy even in 21st century terms, display Heloise's emotional and intellectual prowess, and challenge our modern sensitivities - raising questions about consent, power, romance, and privilege. More than anything, they provide us a glimpse to the life and mind of a twelfth-century woman who refused to play by the impossible rules imposed on her by her lover, her family, her religion, and her society.