Abelard's Love (Paperback)

Originally published in 1991, this is a strongly imagined but unfortunately attenuated and discursive retelling of the story of the doomed love affair of Heloise and Abelard. Its form is a letter written, after Abelard's death, to the convent-bound Heloise by their son Astrolabe, an embittered cleric who blames his parents for having limited his horizons and thus ruined his life. Rinser, a celebrated German novelist now in her late 80s, portrays with acute sympathy the renegade theologian's intellectual explorations of received doctrinal wisdom - but the resulting long passages of analysis and argument away drain attention away from the interest inherent in the star-crossed family relationship that she presents as a "trinity" mocking its divine counterpart. Not to be overlooked, but not the novel it might have been. (Kirkus Reviews)

"Abelard's Love" is an inspired retelling of the story of Abelard and Heloise--the French medieval theologian and his brilliant student--whose love affair led to a scandal that has echoed through the centuries. In the affair's aftermath, Abelard became a monk and Heloise a nun. Forgotten to history was their unwanted son.

Luise Rinser sets at center stage that son and his unique perspective on his legendary parents. The novel is cast in the form of a long letter written by the son, Astrolabe. Addressed to Heloise in the weeks after Abelard's death, the letter brings the story of this tragic family vividly to life. Rinser offers insights into each of the three participants in this family drama, yet it is the perspective of the aggrieved son that lies at the book's core. As the distinguished critic and translator Harry Zohn has remarked, "the young man's melancholy musings . . . add up to an anguished 'J'accuse' of epic dimensions."

General

Imprint:	University of Nebraska Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	European Women Writers
Release date:	February 1998
First published:	February 1998
Authors:	Luise Rinser
Translators:	Jean M. Snook
Dimensions:	152 x 204 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade / Trade
Pages:	154
ISBN-13:	978-0-8032-8968-0
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction Promotions
LSN:	0-8032-8968-5
Barcode:	9780803289680

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!