'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages

Medieval Adultery (with Kat Tracy), part 1: Lancelot and Guinevere

March 26, 2024 Richard Abels Season 3 Episode 39
'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Medieval Adultery (with Kat Tracy), part 1: Lancelot and Guinevere
Show Notes

This is the first of a two part series about adultery.  My co-host for both is Dr. Larissa 'Kat' Tracy. Last month Kat and I talked about my favorite medieval romance, Chretien de Troyes' late twelfth-century French poem "Yvain: The Knight with the Lion."  Unlike the more famous medieval romances of Lancelot and Guinevere and Tristan and Isolde,  "Yvain" celebrated marital love. That led me to ask Kat about attitudes toward adultery in medieval literature. In this episode we focus on the evolution of the Lancelot and Guinevere story, and how it relates to societal and clerical attitudes toward adultery. The second part will be about Tristan and Isolde, and how medieval adultery has been dealt with in movies.

Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com

Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at richard.abels54@gmail.com