 First edition (publ.Clarendon Press) | |
| Author | C. S. Lewis |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Clarendon Press |
Publication date | 1936 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition (1936), byC. S. Lewis (ISBN 0192812203), is an exploration of theallegorical treatment of love in theMiddle Ages and theRenaissance, which was published on 21 May 1936.[1]
In the first chapter, Lewis traces the development of the idea ofcourtly love from the Provençaltroubadours to its full development in the works ofChrétien de Troyes. It is here that he sets forth a famous characterization of "the peculiar form which it [courtly love] first took; the four marks of Humility, Courtesy, Adultery, and the Religion of Love"—the last two of which "marks" have, in particular, been the subject of a good deal of controversy among later scholars. In the second chapter, Lewis discusses the medieval evolution of the allegorical tradition in such writers asBernard Silvestris andAlain de Lille.
The remaining chapters, drawing on the points made in the first two, examine the use of allegory andpersonification in the depiction of love in a selection of poetic works, beginning with theRoman de la Rose. The focus, however, is on English works: the poems ofChaucer,Gower'sConfessio Amantis andUsk'sTestament of Love, the works of Chaucer'sepigones, andSpenser'sFaerie Queene.
The book is ornamented with quotations from poems in many languages, includingClassical andMedieval Latin,Middle English, andOld French. The piquant English translations of many of these are Lewis's own work.
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