The Letters Of Abelard And Heloise

Abelard and Heloise do not provide dates in their letters. The dates assigned by medieval chroniclers also vary. The Chronology is therefore essential for situating the reader in the general history of the time and place in which the letters occurred. It also helps to provide context such as Parisian, French, and church politics. The Chronology begins with vital dates related to the church. It notes that between 1073 and 1085, Pope Gregory VII made attempts to enforce celibacy among the clergy and to bolster ecclesiastic authority.

The Chronology also provides vital information regarding the main figures, Abelard and Heloise, such as their probable dates of birth (1079 C.E. and 1090-1100 C.E., respectively); their educations; their personal and professional interactions; the secular and religious intellectual debates in which they engaged; their scholarly works; their intellectual trajectories; their religious lives; and their deaths. The Chronology focuses more heavily on Abelard than it does on Heloise and the other minor, historical actors.

Betty Radice, the original translator and editor, writes an Introduction in which she addresses both the history and politics informing the work at large, as well as her scholarly interpretation of the relationship and letters between Abelard and Heloise.