`What is marriage and what sets it apart from other human relationships'? These are the key questions which Professor Brooke addresses in this important study of marriage in the medieval world. He draws on many disciplines - history, art, theology, and literature - in order to penetrate the special character of marriage. He covers the entire period from 1000 to 15000, with special emphasis on the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Among the themes treated in this wide-ranging study are the cult of celibacy and the relationship between marriage and architecture. Professor Brooke draws on a remarkable group of case-studies and sources, including the letters of Heloise and Abelard, the epics of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and the poetry of Chaucer. He concludes with a chapter on the theology of marraige, and a penetrating look at The Arnolfini Marriage by Jan van Eyck.