SOURCE: “A Medieval Commentary on Andreas Capellanus,” in Romania, Vol. 94, 1973, pp.528-41.

In the following essay, Sargent explores contemporaneous reaction to De Amore, particularly that of Drouart la Vache.

Modern discussions of the intent and significance of the De amore of Andreas Capellanus are plentiful, as are the interpretations advanced¹. Appeals to the testimony of other medieval texts, and to the Church's attitude toward love in general and fin'amors in particular, are not lacking. One cannot, however, read much of this critical literature without noticing that the same works, and indeed the same passages, of the identical authorities are frequently cited to support widely differing interpretations. One notes, too, that many writers called upon to clarify the meaning of this twelfth-century treatise are very distant, either in time or in space, from Andreas, whereas in the case of this contemporaries (or near-contemporaries) and compatriots—those most likely to...