Especially prevalent in medieval literature, Courtly love is a system of attitudes, myths, beliefs and rules which governed the real and imagined behavior of knights and their ladies as they pursued one another in a flirting and adulterous relationship which was supposed to flatter the lady and elevate, ennoble, and energize the knight. Courtly love - Background. Courtly love was a particular ideal and practice during the Middle Ages in Europe, which had its origins in courtly circles of Aquitaine, w ...

Including:

• Courtly love - Background
• Courtly love - Stages of Courtly Love

Read more here: » Courtly love: Encyclopedia - Courtly love

Including:

• Chivalry - Other meanings
• Chivalry - Notes

Read more here: » Chivalry: Encyclopedia - Chivalry

Courtly love was a particular ideal and practice during the Middle Ages in Europe, which had its origins in courtly circles of Aquitaine, where William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, was one of the first troubadour poets, of Provence, where it was known as fin'amor of Champagne and ducal Burgundy. Courtly love was an aspect of a renewed pleasure in the refinements of the better kind of life, a first stirring of neopaganism in the "delightful understanding" or gai saber of Provençal poets, beg ...

See also:

Courtly love, Courtly love - Background, Courtly love - Stages of Courtly Love

Read more here: » Courtly love: Encyclopedia II - Courtly love - Background

André le Chapelain, in Latin Andreas Capellanus (Capellanus meaning "chaplain"), was the 12th century author of a treatise entitled De amore (On Love). The complete title of his three-volume work published c. 1185 reads Liber de arte honeste amandi et reprobatione inhonesti amantis (Book of the Art of Loving Nobly and the Reprobation of Dishonourable Love, also known as The Book of Courtly Love). Capellanus is also an important author for our understanding of mediæval education—a source of much in ...

Read more here: » Andreas Capellanus: Encyclopedia - Andreas Capellanus

BDSM is a term which describes a number of related patterns of human sexual behaviour. The major subgroupings are described in the abbreviation "BDSM" itself: Bondage (BD) Bondage & Discipline (B&D) Domination & Submission (D&S, DS, D/S) Sadism & Masochism (or Sadomasochism) (S&M, SM) Many of the specific practices in BDSM are those which, if performed in neutral or nonsexual contexts, are widely considered unpleasant, undesirable ...

Including:

• BDSM - Psychological
• BDSM - Psychiatric view
• BDSM - Power exchange
• BDSM - Roles
• BDSM - Dominant behavior
• BDSM - Submissive behavior
• BDSM - Tops and bottoms
• BDSM - Switching
• BDSM - Safety
• BDSM - Various practices
• BDSM - Physiological
• BDSM - Other points
• BDSM - Terminology
• BDSM - Etymology
• BDSM - History
• BDSM - International
• BDSM - Lists of BDSM authors artists and photographers
• BDSM - Publishers fiction and non-fiction
• BDSM - Support groups
• BDSM - Documentaries
• BDSM - References and further reading

Read more here: » BDSM: Encyclopedia - BDSM

Although the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari, pronounced bay'-a-treech-ey, (1266-1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieri's life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedia. Beatrice Portinari - Beatrice's relationship with Dante Alighieri. Dante first met Beatrice in Florence, his home city, when he was nine years old and she was eight. This meeting occurred roughly around 1274. She was dr ...

Including:

• Beatrice Portinari - Beatrice's relationship with Dante Alighieri
• Beatrice Portinari - Dante's love for Beatrice
• Beatrice Portinari - Beatrice's influence on Dante's work

Read more here: » Beatrice Portinari: Encyclopedia - Beatrice Portinari

Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English) comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group. Honour in the case of females historically related frequently to sexuality: preservation of honour equated primarily to maintenance of virginity, or at least to preservation of exclusive monogamy. One could speculate that feminism may have changed the use of the word. The Bushi (also known as samurai) were created under a regime to enforce martial chivalry. In feudal Japan, from the late ...

Read more here: » Changes in Honour: Encyclopedia - Changes in Honour

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket's at Canterbury Cathedral[1]. The Canterbury Tales are written in Middle English. Including:

• The Canterbury Tales - The individual tales
• The Canterbury Tales - The complete work
• The Canterbury Tales - Significance
• The Canterbury Tales - Notes

Read more here: » The Canterbury Tales: Encyclopedia - The Canterbury Tales

Arthurian legend or the Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, especially those centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. The twelfth century French poet Jean Bodel created the name in a chanson de geste he wrote, the Chanson de Saisnes, in which appear the lines: Ne sont que iii matières à nul homme atandant, De France et de Bretaigne, et de Rome la grant. (There are but 3 literary cycles that no one should be without: the ...

Including:

• Matter of Britain - Themes and subjects
• Matter of Britain - Legendary history of Britain
• Matter of Britain - The Arthurian cycle
• Matter of Britain - Characters and subjects
• Matter of Britain - Legendary kings and founders
• Matter of Britain - Arthur and his entourage
• Matter of Britain - Knights of the Round Table
• Matter of Britain - Other important figures
• Matter of Britain - Noteworthy authors
• Matter of Britain - Medieval
• Matter of Britain - Modern
• Matter of Britain - Anonymous
• Matter of Britain - References and sources

Read more here: » Matter of Britain: Encyclopedia - Matter of Britain

While romantic love as discussed above is a dream of many, some claim that such love as is depicted in books and movies rarely, if ever, occurs. They point to the modern practice of dating, where often the goal is to have sexual intercourse as soon as possible instead of building a lasting relationship. Often, the rigorous demands of careers in the modern world rob people of the time to find such ideal companions, and mental disorders such as social anx ...

See also:

Romantic love, Romantic love - Fantasy vs. Reality, Romantic love - Reference

Read more here: » Romantic love: Encyclopedia II - Romantic love - Fantasy vs. Reality

The historical origins of BDSM are obscure. There are anecdotal reports of people willingly being bound or whipped as a prelude to, or substitute for, sex going back to the fourteenth century. The medieval phenomenon of courtly love in all of its slavish devotion and ambivalence has been suggested by some writers to be a precursor of BDSM. Some sources claim that BDSM as a distinct form of sexual behaviour originated at the beginning of the eighteenth century when Western civilization began medically and legally categorizing sexual behaviour ...

See also:

BDSM, BDSM - Psychological, BDSM - Psychiatric view, BDSM - Power exchange, BDSM - Roles, BDSM - Dominant behavior, BDSM - Submissive behavior, BDSM - Tops and bottoms, BDSM - Switching, BDSM - Safety, BDSM - Various practices, BDSM - Physiological, BDSM - Other points, BDSM - Terminology, BDSM - Etymology, BDSM - History, BDSM - International, BDSM - Lists of BDSM authors artists and photographers, BDSM - Publishers fiction and non-fiction, BDSM - Support groups, BDSM - Documentaries, BDSM - References and further reading

Read more here: » BDSM: Encyclopedia II - BDSM - History

The manner in which Dante chose to express his love for Beatrice often agreed with the medieval concept of courtly love. Courtly love was a secret, unrequited and highly respectful form of admiration for another person. Yet it is still not entirely clear what caused Dante to fall in love with Beatrice. Seeing as how he knew very little of the real Beatrice, and that he had no great insight to her character, it is perhaps unusual that he fell in love with her. But he did, and there are clues in his works as to why he did: "She has ineffable courtesy, is my beautitude, the de ...

See also:

Beatrice Portinari, Beatrice Portinari - Beatrice's relationship with Dante Alighieri, Beatrice Portinari - Dante's love for Beatrice, Beatrice Portinari - Beatrice's influence on Dante's work

Read more here: » Beatrice Portinari: Encyclopedia II - Beatrice Portinari - Dante's love for Beatrice

"It is lyric poetry to be in the forefront of literature, inspiring a widespread enthusiam whose effects will be felt for centuries. The initial boost given by the Sicilian poets from the Svevs' court, the first to use a standardised vernacular to make art poetry will be passed on to many others: and all of them, not just the pedantic imitators of the Siculo-Tuscan school but also Guinizzelli, the poets of Dolce Stil Novo and more widely all writers of verse, will have to deal, though by different degrees, with the Sicilian models, so that some peculiarities will be assimilated into standard usage of Italian poetry ...

See also:

Sicilian School, Sicilian School - The work of a roving school, Sicilian School - Style and subject-matter, Sicilian School - The downside of Sicilian poetry, Sicilian School - Realism and parody: Cielo d'Alcamo, Sicilian School - Linguistic notes on the Sicilian standard

Read more here: » Sicilian School: Encyclopedia II - Sicilian School - The work of a roving school

Though the Sicilian School is generally considered conventional in theme or content it rather "stands out for his refined lexicon, near to the style of trobar clus and for the wise treatment of figures of speech and metaphors of stylnovistic taste taken from natural philosophy" (Cesare Segre). There is a visible move towards neoplatonic models, which will be embraced by Dolce Stil Novo in the later 13th century Bologna and Florence, and more markedly by Petrarch. Unlike the Northern Italian troubadours, no line is ever written ...

See also:

Sicilian School, Sicilian School - The work of a roving school, Sicilian School - Style and subject-matter, Sicilian School - The downside of Sicilian poetry, Sicilian School - Realism and parody: Cielo d'Alcamo, Sicilian School - Linguistic notes on the Sicilian standard

Read more here: » Sicilian School: Encyclopedia II - Sicilian School - Style and subject-matter

The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery and avarice. The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai, sermon, and fabliau. The characters, introduced in the General Prologue of the book, tell tales of great cultural relevance. The Tales include: The General Prologue The Knight's Tale The Miller's Prologue and Tale The Reeve's Prologue and Tale The Cook's Prologue and Tale The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale The Wife of Bath ...

See also:

The Canterbury Tales, The Canterbury Tales - The individual tales, The Canterbury Tales - The complete work, The Canterbury Tales - Significance, The Canterbury Tales - Notes

Read more here: » The Canterbury Tales: Encyclopedia II - The Canterbury Tales - The individual tales

It is believed that about one hundred and fifty of his poems have survived, though many others have been attributed to him over the centuries. His main themes were love and nature. The influence of wider European ideas of courtly love, as exemplified in the troubador poetry of Provençal, is seen as a significant influence on Dafydd's poetry. He was an innovative poet who was responsible for popularising the metre known as "cywydd" and first to use it for praise. But perhaps his greatest innovation was to make himself the main focus o ...

See also:

Dafydd ap Gwilym, Dafydd ap Gwilym - Life, Dafydd ap Gwilym - Poetry, Dafydd ap Gwilym - Sources/Bibliography

Read more here: » Dafydd ap Gwilym: Encyclopedia II - Dafydd ap Gwilym - Poetry

Dominance and submission, and the inner conflict and surrender connected to these are enduring themes in human culture and civilization as well as human sexuality. Human beings share with many other mammals the instinct to look up to certain individuals who become leaders often through strength of will and personality, and to lead or follow, submit or dominate. In human sexuality this has broadened out to include mutual exploration of roles, emotions and activities (such as sensation play, the exploration of intense physical sensation as an end in itself) which would be difficult or impossib ...

See also:

Domination and submission BDSM, Domination and submission BDSM - Overview, Domination and submission BDSM - Terminology, Domination and submission BDSM - D/s relationship styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Consent and contracts, Domination and submission BDSM - Master/slave, Domination and submission BDSM - Equipment and accessories, Domination and submission BDSM - Collars, Domination and submission BDSM - Safety, Domination and submission BDSM - History, Domination and submission BDSM - Myths, Domination and submission BDSM - Literary Styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Notable authors fiction and non-fiction, Domination and submission BDSM - References and further reading, Domination and submission BDSM - Films

Read more here: » Domination and submission BDSM: Encyclopedia II - Domination and submission BDSM - Overview

In later romances, particularly those of French origin, there is a marked tendency to emphasize themes of courtly love, such as faithfulness in adversity. From ca. 1800 the connotations of "romance" moved from fantastic and eerie, somewhat Gothic adventure narratives of novelists like Anne Radcliffe's The Sicilian Romance (1790) or The Romance of the Forest (1791) with erotic content to novels centered on the episodic development of a courtship that ends in marriage. With a female protagonist, during the rise of Romantic ...

See also:

Romance genre, Romance genre - Characteristics of the romance, Romance genre - Relationship to modern 'romantic fiction', Romance genre - Northrop Frye's definition

Read more here: » Romance genre: Encyclopedia II - Romance genre - Relationship to modern 'romantic fiction'

Main article: List of BDSM terms D/s participants often refer to their activity as "play", with an individual play session called a "scene". ...

See also:

Domination and submission BDSM, Domination and submission BDSM - Overview, Domination and submission BDSM - Terminology, Domination and submission BDSM - D/s relationship styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Consent and contracts, Domination and submission BDSM - Master/slave, Domination and submission BDSM - Equipment and accessories, Domination and submission BDSM - Collars, Domination and submission BDSM - Safety, Domination and submission BDSM - History, Domination and submission BDSM - Myths, Domination and submission BDSM - Literary Styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Notable authors fiction and non-fiction, Domination and submission BDSM - References and further reading, Domination and submission BDSM - Films

Read more here: » Domination and submission BDSM: Encyclopedia II - Domination and submission BDSM - Terminology

Dominance and submission actually predate homo sapiens, and in fact it could be supposed that shortly after the second species of life evolved, one began to dominate the other. But our concern here is D/s of an erotic nature, which can be hard to document especially in cultures where one gender or another is presumed dominant. It can be hard to tell if one submits because it is pleasurable or for more practical reasons, such as food and shelter. Still there are many writings from the ancient age through the modern that would clearly ind ...

See also:

Domination and submission BDSM, Domination and submission BDSM - Overview, Domination and submission BDSM - Terminology, Domination and submission BDSM - D/s relationship styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Consent and contracts, Domination and submission BDSM - Master/slave, Domination and submission BDSM - Equipment and accessories, Domination and submission BDSM - Collars, Domination and submission BDSM - Safety, Domination and submission BDSM - History, Domination and submission BDSM - Myths, Domination and submission BDSM - Literary Styles, Domination and submission BDSM - Notable authors fiction and non-fiction, Domination and submission BDSM - References and further reading, Domination and submission BDSM - Films

Read more here: » Domination and submission BDSM: Encyclopedia II - Domination and submission BDSM - History