In the four-part series, "Literature of the Middle Ages," Dr. David Allen White explores in detail The Song of Roland, the theme of Courtly Love and goes in-depth into Dante's Divine Comedy.
The Song of Roland
Dr. David Allen White explains the nature and importance of stories in general, as images of the act of Creation, and explores in detail the greatest of the Chansons de Gestes, The Song of Roland, an epic Medieval poem glorifying the exploits of a knight in the service of Charlemagne fighting Moslems in Spain.
Courtly Love
Dr. David Allen White explores the "other side of chivalry"; knights were obliged to fight loyally for God and for their lords, but were also obliged to perfect courtesy toward others, particularly women. The extensive requirements of the chivalric code, which governed the lives of Medieval knights, is detailed, and the difference between the ideal of marriage and that of courtly love is explored. In depth discussion of the literature concerning King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and the search for the Holy Grail.
Dante's Divine Comedy (Part I)
Dr. David Allen White expounds on Dante's masterpiece, explaining how The Divine Comedy transforms the faulty notion of courtly love into the mystical union between the soul and God. In Part I, Dr. White discusses Dante's life and formation in the context of the political situation of the day, the nature of comedy as such, the allegorical aspects of the poem, and the structure of the poem.
Dante's Divine Comedy (Part II)
In Part II, Dr. David Allen White richly analyzes the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso in light of Catholic thought.