The Letters Of Abelard And Heloise

Heloise was born sometime in the 1090s and educated in her youth by nuns at the convent of Argenteuil, near Paris. Her guardian and uncle, Fulbert, seems to have fully encouraged and cultivated her education, hiring the then-famous Abelard as her tutor. Though we do not know much about her family, these circumstances indicate that they were of some means and social standing. By all accounts, Heloise was famed for her intellect, her extensive education, and her talents in Latin, composition, and music. She was well-versed in the secular arts as well as religious teaching, as she demonstrates throughout her letters in her keen and incisive discussion of faith and morality.

As his student, Heloise was seduced by Abelard, and the two became lovers. Their letters indicate that—power differential aside—the relationship was consensual and their romance was fiery. When Heloise became pregnant, Abelard took her away to his native region of Brittany to live with his sister until she gave birth their son, Astralabe. Heloise is famous for her unequivocal rejection of Abelard’s attempt to make amends by marrying her. She equates marriage with chains and insists that she wants nothing from him but himself, and that she wishes to remain his friend and lover.