jennyo is translating a rare Middle English MS of "The Lay of Westley of Wyndham," and it must be read. Like, now. 'Cause it's got editor's notes and all, which is just geeky goodness at its best.
Fantabulous, darling, thanks for the reference. Although it was possibly not quite kind when I have just finished slaving over an essay on Middle English romance (and making others suffer for it too). I think I might get quite a bit more interested in the whole thing, mostly the gender stuff. Medieval same-sex marriage debates? I've been waffling on about erotic triangles (a la Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick) in the Knight's Tale and so on, but I thought that was the best it was going to get. Tell me more!
One nit-picking point, though. "He was an old man, three-and-twenty years to his name" is a bit misleading, I took one look and started humphing. I mean, life expectancy wasn't all that bad in the Middle Ages, and besides I'll be 26 on Friday so I was taking it personally. I presume it actually means something like 23 years of battle experience?
Another interesting dissection of that whole ridiculous fine amor/fole amor business. How they managed to preserve two so incredibly opposing views on love (either it's all deeply spiritual and she's the Virgin Mary, or you're having a bit of rough sex in a pear tree, nothing in between) still baffles me. They must have been doing doublethink in quite a serious way.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2003-12-07 04:04 am (UTC)One nit-picking point, though. "He was an old man, three-and-twenty years to his name" is a bit misleading, I took one look and started humphing. I mean, life expectancy wasn't all that bad in the Middle Ages, and besides I'll be 26 on Friday so I was taking it personally. I presume it actually means something like 23 years of battle experience?
Another interesting dissection of that whole ridiculous fine amor/fole amor business. How they managed to preserve two so incredibly opposing views on love (either it's all deeply spiritual and she's the Virgin Mary, or you're having a bit of rough sex in a pear tree, nothing in between) still baffles me. They must have been doing doublethink in quite a serious way.