Andreas and the Ambiguity of Courtly Love

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A resolution to the vexed problem whether a troubadour's love is erotic or spiritual is offered by Paolo Cherchi through a new reading of Andreas Capellanus' "De Amore" (written around 1186-1196). He suggests that Andreas, using a rhetorical strategy that creates ambiguity, condemns courtly love because its claim that passion generates virtue is untenable and deceitful. Although Andreas grasped the core of the courtly love 'system, ' namely, the relation between passion and ethics, he failed to consider the notion of "mezura, " that courtly virtue through which troubadours transformed nature into culture, and erotic passion into social discourse.Cherchi offers an innovative interpretation and a close reading of selected poems. He traces the history of ProvenAal lyric poetry, highlighting some of the significant personalities and movements.