John S. Ott
Portland State University
HST 101 - Western Civilizations
O-13
The Twelfth Century:
The Quest for Self, God, and Community
in an Age of Emotion
I. Introduction: The twelfth century, an age
of emotion
II. Models
The yearning for knowledge of self and knowledge
of God
Autobiography and letter writing
The yearning for the desert (eremus)
Exteriority: pilgrimage and crusade (1095-1291)
Terms and people: Guigo, prior
of La Chartreuse, Meditations (composed c. 1130); ***vita apostolica;
Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (c. 397); ***Cistercian monastic order,
Robert of Molesme, Citeaux, and Bernard of Clairvaux (b. c. 1090-1153); Rule
of Benedict; Pope Urban II (r. 1088-1099), Council of Clermont
III. Courtly love, romance, and the celebration of
the individual
Monastic and aristocratic culture
The ideology of romantic love
Terms and people: Anselm of Canterbury,
Prayers and Meditations; Ovid, Ars amatoria; Andreas Capellanus,
De arte honeste amandi (composed between 1174-1186); Chretien
of Troyes; ***chivalry (from French chevalier, mounted knight)