The Erotics of Grief: Emotions and the Construction of Privilege in the Medieval Mediterranean by Megan Moore (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Erotics of Grief: Emotions and the Construction of Privilege in the Medieval Mediterranean by Megan Moore Charles-Louis Morand-Métivier megan moore, The Erotics of Grief: Emotions and the Construction of Privilege in the Medieval Mediterranean. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2021. Pp. 189. ISBN: 978–1–50175–839–3. $49.99. Ever since Barbara Rosenwein released her magnum opus, Emotional Communities in the Early Middle Ages (Cornell, 2007), scholars have started using this approach to propose new methods to analyze medieval texts, notably by demonstrating how they emote and beget an emotional response from their readers. Megan Moore's book could be considered one of the most influential studies of emotions in the Middle Ages that was recently published. The core of her research focuses on what she identifies as the erotics of grief, and what they can help us understand about 'the interplay between gender, emotions, and power' (p. 3). When studying emotions, it is important to know what dimension of the idea the scholar refers to; here, Moore explains that she takes 'emotions to be culturally contextualized performances of feelings' (p. 7). This definition flows throughout her analysis of emotions in the context of gender, performance, and culture, and most notably how the elites were taught how to feel and experience grief and desire through texts; moreover, the erotization of this grief is crucial in the creation of tightening of the community of the elites. What makes Moore's analysis so appealing is the versatility of sources and approaches that she uses in her book; her research examines both canonical medieval pieces as well as less-known works. Her first chapter focuses on Philomena by Chrétien de Troyes, and how communal emotions and individual drives are intricately linked; through the analysis of women's bodily narratives, it is much more than the grief and suffering of women that is displayed; these become readable for others as emotional messages. Chapter Two also focuses on two of Chrétien de Troyes' romances, Erec et Énide and his rendition of Yvain. She specifically focuses on grief among widows. In these works, grieving women are made particularly desirable because of and through the narration of the deeds of their late lovers; as she explains, 'grief is eroticized within romance because it serves the ends of feudalism' (p. 89). Chapter Three examines one of the most famous French 'chanson de geste,' the Song of Roland. Although it is possibly one of the most studied medieval texts, and one on which much was already written, Moore examines this text, alongside Aliscans, Le Roman de Rou, and La Mort [End Page 109] le roi Artu. This chapter, even though it also examines grief and community, is more specifically focusing on masculinity, and most notably how the notion of grief plays in the creation and strengthening of the relations between leaders (such as Arthur and Charlemagne) and their knights, and how these relations help perform and commemorate strong, heroic masculinities of death. Chapter Four is built around close readings of Mediterranean narratives; by this, she understands texts that were written about travels or actions that took place in the Mediterranean world. In John of Mandeville's Travels, Philippe Mousket's Chronique, Hue de Rotelande's Ipomédon, and the Roman d'Éneas, she studies how the erotics of grief create a kind of shared Mediterranean discourse of power. Following the conclusion, the book has two appendices containing references to medieval illuminations, one of the knights being grieved (pp. 165–66) and one of the lovers in death (pp. 167–68). The close readings, the critical apparatus, as well as the choice of sources make The Erotics of Grief a fantastic book that is bound to become a classic; it is a crucial work for literary and Mediterranean studies, but also for scholars of emotions who will find her book crucially important for the evolution of this field in Medieval Studies. [End Page 110] Charles-Louis Morand-Métivier The University of Vermont Copyright © 2023 Arthuriana