Publication details
Sex, manželství a láska v antické a středověké literatuře. Příspěvek k paradigmatu intimity evropského kulturního okruhu.
| Title in English | Sex, Marriage, and Love in Classical and Medieval Literature. A Contribution to the Intimacy Paradigm of the European Cultural Region. |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 1999 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Chocholáč, Bronislav - Jan, Libor - Knoz, Tomáš, ed.: Nový Mars Moravicus aneb sborník příspěvků, jež věnovali prof. dr. Josefu Válkovi jeho žáci a přátelé k šedesátinám. |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Mass media, audiovision |
| Keywords | sex; marriage; love; Classical and Medieval literature; intimacy |
| Description | European intimacy has ancient and Christian roots. It is possible to investigate it in the system of love affairs, erotic and family relationships practiced in the European cultural circle and reflected in philosophy, religion, art and especially in literature. The ancient and medieval literatures support love as a fundamental, dynamic, value and socially integrative principle of human life in a very inventive way. Hellenic mythology is valuable archives providing information about European intimacy. The life of the Olympic gods represents a mirror image of interpersonal relationships. It is the expression of ancient sensualism and hedonism as an interest in earthly eroticism, beauty of the body and also pleasure of a spirit. Divine and human lives mingle and permeate through each other in ancient myths. Myths and also ancient literary art depict not only the models of behavior of free Greek and Roman citizens in the area of eroticism, love and family, but also in a foreseeing way and nearly in a comprehensive way also depict the basic models of behavior of an European community in the given area which is integrated by the institution of a monogamous marriage. Christianity brings a new theocentric conception of love and a conception of sex as a primary sin. The main value in the Christian conception of the world is the love of a man to the God, Christ's love to a man and an unselfish love of a man to his fellowmen. Sex is a taboo and it is disengaged from the area of a sin only in the marriage, if it serves to an honorable goal of progeniture of children. This conception is fulfilled and also exceeded in medieval courtly, burgess and also ecclesiastical culture and literature. Early provencal courtly lyric poetry still keeps the tradition of ancient love and eroticism. Courtly love singing lyric poetry of the Central European cultural area (minnesang) is already disengaged from the period courtly morals - it brings a fashionable conception of courtly love as a platonic (unfulfilled) love of a knight being in service to a married woman. Here we can find the roots of modern romantic love. The ecclesiastical literature developed especially in spiritual lyric poetry, legends and in the Marian cult of a conception of a mythical love to the God. In the opposition to courtly and also ecclesiastical literatures there was burgess literature and literature of 'wandering scholars' (vagant literature). Here are the beginnings of realistic and satirical medieval literary output which represented a continuous transition between medieval and Renaissance literatures, adoring eroticism. |