The Letters Of Abelard And Heloise

Having come by Abelard’s letter by chance and becoming greatly distressed by it, Heloise responds with her own letter, written sometime between 1133 and 1138 C.E. She begins by restating the contents of his letter and confesses that they, his community at the Paraclete, fear for his life. She urges him write to those who are “all that are left to you” (48).

Heloise refers to Abelard as an absent friend and tells him that he has hurt her and the Paraclete community through his neglect. While she praises him for establishing such a worthy community, she reminds him that he is responsible for nurturing and cultivating it. Heloise implies that he should pay more attention to the Paraclete than the monks at St Gildas, writing, “You devote your care to another’s vineyard; think what you owe to your own” (50).

Heloise writes that if Abelard will not consider his obligation to the Paraclete, he must consider their close tie of marriage and his obligation to “her who is yours alone” (50). Here, she delves into their personal history and the pain that his neglect has caused her. Heloise discusses “the precarious early days of our conversion long ago” and how she was surprised and dismayed at how he offered her no comfort, especially since she became a nun at his order (50).