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The Sketchy History of Western Romance
Romance is a very coveted thing because it feels amazing to be loved by someone. And yet, romance has yielded many sad moments in many lives. This might sound odd but if people understood what romance really is and where it stemmed from, they would never conflate it with love ever again.
The etymology of the word “romance” is Old French and it meant, “a story, written or recited, in verse, telling of the adventures of a knight, hero, etc.,” which was written primarily as entertainment. And if you know anything about storytelling, there is no story without conflict. It’s about rescue and damsels in distress. A trope men predominantly still carry on to this day.
A chaplain by the name of Andreas Capellanus was commissioned to write a book called De Amore or The Art of Courtly Love. He was given this task to define courtly love by Countess Marie of Champagne and Troyes. “Courtly love” got its name because it originated from the French courtyards of the 12th century and displayed a certain type of romance.
Cultures throughout the world have had their own unique ways of expressing sexual attraction, but when we talk of courtly love back then, there are elements that are strikingly similar to the Western “love” of today.
The chaplain defines love in the first chapter of the book as, “a certain inborn…
