The goal and thus the effectiveness of the writings by educated Dhuoda in the handbook to
her son William and the letters between Peter Abelard and Heloise, are affected by the type of
love shared with their intended receiver, whether maternal or marital. The religious piety of
these three individuals in combination with distinguishing factors, most notably teacher/pupil
status but also gender and age, causes differences in how they write as well as heavily influences
how they view their relationships with others and how they ought to be conducted.
Dhuoda obviously obtains her status as a teacher by being a mother, but by being physically
separated from William, she is forced into the role as an instructor by circumstance as well. The
distance causes Dhuoda to write her book in an urgent manner which, while explicitly addressed
to William, is done for herself to relieve some of the anxiety caused by being unable to raise
William herself and personally instill valuable lessons, a defining feature of parenting. Parental
nature dictates that parents wish their children to experience full, happy lives, but given
William’s hostage situation, Dhuoda’s main priority falls to his survival, which includes physical
well-being but focuses more importantly on his spiritual salvation. She displays this maternal
concern through the topic of the two deaths, physical and that of the soul (Dhuoda 80). By
deemphasizing pain and death of the physical body, she stresses the greater importance of
spiritual survival, seen by her citing the Psalmist who says, “No man can escape the first […]
But a man can escape the second death, if he wishes and if he has struggled worthily” (Dhuoda
80). This is reinforced by her earlier call in Book Five to endure not only physical suffering such
as illness but more so spiritual sorrows borne in the name of the Lord which will be rewarded
with eternal life (Dhuoda 65).
In his first letter to a friend, Peter Abelard describes how he confidently seeks out and wins
the affections of Heloise; but as their initial affections develop, he fails to fulfill his expected role
as her tutor, the premise under which they initially grew closer, as he seems to be teaching her
more in the art of passion than those of the books. His efforts as an actual instructor to his
students and his studies in philosophy and theology also dwindled as their relationship
progressed (A&H 11). Through later letters between Peter and Heloise, Peter actually adopts the
voice of an instructor, using phrases like “listen to me more attentively” which can be seen as a
marker of change within their relationship, from lovers back to teacher/student which ironically
is what he initially claimed to be to her (A&H 72). His goal is then to discuss God’s grace upon
them despite their “shameful behavior…previous fornication, and the wanton impurities” which
he admits they are both guilty of, but for which they should be grateful God did not inflict a
harsher punishment for than his castration (A&H 79). Heloise’s acceptance of her inferior role
could possibly be linked to the natural hierarchy of age but also her position as the student of
Peter. This submissive position may contribute to her later tendency to remain willing to grieve
the conditions of Peter’s life on his behalf and her refusal to see him as the devout, monastic
individual he claims and demonstrates he has become through his religious language.
Dhuoda, living in a patriarchal society, displays the increasingly strict ideals of religious
adherence characteristic of the Carolingian dynasty through her reliance on citing sources which
without would deem her not credible. She demonstrates her authority as a writer and female
scholar by constantly quoting intellectuals of her time in addition to a wide variety of secular and
biblical sources which demonstrate her extensive religious knowledge. Her status as a woman is
reinforced by her calling William to pray for and respect the high-ranking figures explicitly
addressed with male terms such as “clergy, bishops and priests, your own lord, kings” with no
mentioning of the queens or wives of these figures whose positions were and still remain to be
largely male-dominated in terms of profession (Dhuoda 84). Her role as a woman and mother,
and absence of her husband, drives Dhuoda to fulfill both parental roles by establishing familial
principles, such as honoring his father Bernard in Book Three, which Bernard would otherwise
demand through teaching if he was there. She must teach her son religiosity but also reinforce
the social and cultural norms of their time.
Despite their common feature of womanhood, Heloise does not write in the same voice of
Dhuoda who although sometimes denied her own self-value, referring to herself as “unworthy
and frail”, was still confident in her religious and life sources (Dhuoda 8). Instead she is much
more emotional and desperate, and surprisingly does not seem to adhere firmly to Christian
beliefs despite her background of being well-studied and thus presumably somewhat versed in
religion, even as part of an abbey. This, along with her naivety as a young girl, leads her to
continue to rely on the affections of Peter. She is inhibited from piety by her and Abelard’s
previous sexual encounters and the “lewd visions of those pleasures” which overtake her mind
“even during the celebration of the Mass” (A&H 68). He sternly reprimands these words and
literally tells her to “seek piety” (A&H 79) through adopting the appropriate behavior of a nun,
one of the most recognized, distinct female roles in religion, a role which Peter says to her “you
disguised yourself in the sacred habit of a nun, a pretence which was an irreverent mockery of
the religion you now profess” (A&H 80). Perhaps Peter’s identity as a well-educated, renowned
scholar and teacher contributes to his arrogance, a trait greatly regarded as more common among
males. Peter’s status as a male may also have enabled him to more easily earn this profession
and fame as a scholar. His first letter is dedicated entirely to detailing his own personal woes of
misery, essentially a display of egotism, and how they are greater than his friend’s (A&H Letter
1). He may feel entitled as a male in the patriarchal society to a certain level of respect and
amorous relations, which may have led him to essentially take advantage of the naivety of young
Heloise.
Although disputed, the relative closeness in age of Peter and Heloise allows them to
connect on a closer level and discuss personal issues versus Dhuoda who must maintain a certain
level of authority over and distance from William. The crisis of political instability and threat to
William’s life causes Dhuoda to inherit a tone of urgency. Dhuoda hastens William to seek out
the elders and learn their wisdom, so it is presumed that wisdom may come with age (Dhuoda
28). Thus, Dhuoda’s authority is also assumed to come from her being older and wiser. Her
acknowledgement of her son’s age comes in Book Nine when she says, “but my loving intent
here has been to refashion their content in a manner appropriate to your age. You may thus be
led up to the height of perfection in fifteen steps” which doubly serves as her reference back to
religiosity and following the seven gifts and eight beatitudes in this medieval how-to guide
(Dhuoda 91).
Initially, Peter’s older age compared to Heloise may have given him the false idea that he
deserves to become her older tutor in love. But his relatively young age in the grand scheme of
life left him equally lustful and self-absorbed in the beginning phase of their romance. His older
age may have been a contributing factor in his decision to move on from the sexual nature of his
bond with Heloise. He also begins addressing her as a sister in Christ, thus he is using his
religious devotion as a display not only of his newfound piety but also an obvious sign that he
wishes to distance himself from her in those terms. His entering the monastery may be seen
simply then as a predictable step and return to the religious portion of his life which he had
previously immersed himself in through studies. Heloise’s young age, which contributes both to
her immaturity and her inexperience in love, which may be why she clings to Peter, her first
love. Despite his blatant claims that it was “lust, not love” that caused their sins, and that he has
since adopted the monastic life and, given his castration, seeks no further relationship other than
that in Christ, she still chooses to pitifully chase after him (A&H 86).
Evident from her wide variety of sources, Dhuoda is set on providing William with an
extensive guide on how to behave in such a way as to best guarantee his survival and eventual
ascension into the heavenly afterlife. Although the actual difference in age remains the same,
the relationship between Peter and Heloise changes not only as a result in their levels of piety but
also the fundamentals of the younger and older ages become more evident. The drawing from
sources displays the educational background and instructional/student position of the three
authors while simultaneously credits them as reliable sources and reinforces their religious
devotion as it is tied into their writing.
With citations: 1552
Not including citations ≈ 1249 so I met my goal, yay!