Ian Dickman

Europe in the High Middle Ages

11/20/14
Professor Alberi
The Individualism of Abelard and Heloise
Following the trends of intellectualism taking root during the later period of the Middle Ages in
Europe, Peter Abelard and Heloise were representative of the conflicting nature of desiring knowledge
while keeping in line with established traditions. Their scholarship can be seen as attributing much to
their nature of leaning towards an individualism rare in such times, and this in turn can be seen as a
factor leading to the fame they had achieved then and now. However, this independence and failure to
abide by the strict customs of the time saw both take part in more suffering than pleasure.
For Peter Abelard, there was an intense desire not only to gain knowledge, but to cultivate a
reputation that could last throughout the ages. To meet these ends, the scholar set out to challenge
established individuals and, what he felt, was a propensity to lean on tradition for the sake of tradition,
rather than for its rational and logical merit. In doing so, Abelard proved himself not to be one content
with accepting without question. His having possessed such traits set him immediately apart from his
fellow students, whose lack of desire to challenge the lecturers of academia saw the regurgitation of
centuries old ideas. It was here where Abelard often times found himself running afoul of others, for he
had always spoken out against that which he found lacking in merit, but in doing so he also gained
followers, as he could sate a thirst his peers had for somebody to push the boundaries of their scholarly
life. His reputation began to grow not only through spread praise concerning his intelligence, but also
largely through the spreading of rumors with which his rivals had stirred up, for as he said himself . .
.the more his jealousy pursued me, the more my reputation spread. . . (Letters 80). According to his
own account, Abelard was never bested by another wit, but through his foes exploiting the connections
they held with those in seats of power. This innate skill he seemed to have been in possession of could
have been nothing more than a curious nature and the stubbornness to see it through. By having been

willing to explore new roads of intellectual travel, Abelard was able to stay ahead of all his peers who
were content with what was written down before their time. One of his most described scholarly battles
was with the lecturer Anselm of Laon, whom . . . had a remarkable command of words but their
meaning was worthless and devoid of sense ( Letters 82). The skirmish between the two men, and
then Abelard and Anselm's students, is the quintessential example of how Abelard gained his fame and
demonstrated his talents, with an insurmountable task being presented to him, and in the end not only
does he survive, but he flourishes. It speaks volumes of his nature, how he distinguishes experience
with knowledge, and how he lambasts his peers for being unable to analyze texts on their own without
instruction. He is not satisfied to simply understand and replicate, but to question and add onto existing
doctrines of philosophy and faith. His desire to do so is so great that, at his lowest point amongst the
Abbey of St. Gildas de Rhuys, he expresses the thought to transport himself away and live within the
lands of pagans, while holding only privately his adherence to the faith of God, all in order to continue
his personal studies. Indeed, he did for a time live in relative solitude in Troyes before students began
to flock towards him. He describes the self-imposed isolation as a needed step, and when his students
come to live like he does he comments,They could rightly be thought of as imitating the early
philosophers. . . (Letters 105).
Heloise, then, had to herself have a powerful set of personal characteristics to catch the eye of
Abelard in such a fantastic way. Her uniqueness, her ability to be seen as apart from the society around
her, is for much the same reason as her infamous lover's, in that she was a person of great education
and also a woman. The rarity of this situation was not lost on Abelard who expressed that, A gift for
letters is is so rare in women it added greatly to her charm. . . (Letters 84). It can be said without much
doubt, then, that if Abelard's, as a man, scholarly ways led him to be such an individualist amongst his
peers, Heloise's could only do the same, if not more so. Her appreciation of the ways of philosophy and
intellectualism are, after all, what led to her surprising resistance to Abelard's ideas of marriage. While
he wished to placate her uncle, Fulbert, who had been in a rage due to the adultery between the two of

them, she stated that marriage would ruin the both of them, as it is not the path in life meant for a great
scholar such as Abelard. In fact, she has such an attachment to the ideals of scholarly pursuit, she states
that being nothing more than a whore or concubine in title would be less damaging than to be married.
Such a dismissal of her appearance to society is unique, most especially in regards to such an issue of a
religious nature, for which a woman easily could have been stripped of any social importance. But her
ability to place value beyond titles extended past just an inward view, and she told Abelard of her
displeasure in regards to those whose positions guarantee them praise above their deeds. In this regard,
the two lovers share a common viewpoint, one which would cause much unrest were they to be spoken
of more freely. To suggest that any member of the Church does not deserve the praise of their position
is to levy against it a criticism, which for an individual as powerful as a king could be disastrous. In
regards to how merit is earned, Heloise stated that . . . whoever does not offend the opinions of man
receives the highest praise. . . (Letters 143).
The distaste the pair of lovers held for much of their contemporaries merit, their desire to follow
a course of their own, and a knowledge perhaps too great for their own good, saw their later lives filled
with more pain than any form of pleasure. For Abelard, his list of enemies grew too great, and his
school in Troyes was left by him for the Abbey of St. Gildas de Rhuys, in hopes that his taking the
position of abbot would restore his good standing in the public eye. However, what did in fact occur
was a painful series of events that saw him being manipulated his unruly children, whose extortion
upon him was so severe that he could not leave the abbey walls for fear of running afoul hired bandits
along the roads. But misfortune for him was not saved for only his life's end, and his castration by
Fulbert for his time with Heloise and his forced burning of his own work by a Papal council mark two
other momentous occasions where his standing outside of society resulted in punishment. The
consequences for Heloise were perhaps less so in a physical sense, for she entered the life of a nun
before Abelard's castration, but she did suffer emotionally from the separation. She would tell Abelard
that his castration saved him from more permanent pain, for he could forget the temptations of flesh,

while she would have to forever endure the pains of lost pleasure that she used to experience with him.
For the lovers Abelard and Heloise, it was their refusal to accept popular ideologies and
education that would separate them from the society around them. While they were still contained
within it in some respects, such as their adherence to Catholicism ultimately and their treatment of
gender roles, they were able to step largely to the side in enough areas to see the trends of the time in a
different perspective. Because of this, in some fields of life they were unable to cope, and because of
this were made to suffer at the hands of those who could not reach their level of thought.

Bibliography
The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. Radice, Betty [Rev. ed. New York, New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.