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The Story Of My Misfortunes: The Autobiography Of Peter Abľard
An enthusiastic and daring thinker relates a spellbinding story of his philosophical and spiritual enlightenment — and the tale of his tragic personal life as well. Peter Abélard paints an absorbing portrait of monastic and scholastic life in 12th-century Paris and recounts one of history's most famous love stories, his doomed romance with Heloise.
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(first published 1135)
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I've never understood why the story of Abelard and Heloise is considered romantic. Abelard was a self-centered whiner who seems to have had no reservations about violating his monastic vows and the trust of his employer. He finagled a teaching position with the plan of beating his student so that she would give into his sexual demands:
he had entrusted a tender lamb to the care of a ravenous wolf. When he had thus given her into my charge, not alone to be taught but even to be disciplined, what...more
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What I expected:
"Hi, I'm Abelard, a brilliant and tragic figure. I'm going to tell you about my lifelong devotion to my scholarship and my religion. I will also explain how I dealt with that whole Heloise thing everyone talks about--how we loved each other truly and profoundly but our morals and stations in life kept us from ever being together in more than spirit."
What I got:
"Hi, I'm Abelard, an insufferable narcissist with a persecution complex. Everywhere I go, people slander and even try to ...more
"Hi, I'm Abelard, a brilliant and tragic figure. I'm going to tell you about my lifelong devotion to my scholarship and my religion. I will also explain how I dealt with that whole Heloise thing everyone talks about--how we loved each other truly and profoundly but our morals and stations in life kept us from ever being together in more than spirit."
What I got:
"Hi, I'm Abelard, an insufferable narcissist with a persecution complex. Everywhere I go, people slander and even try to ...more
May 29, 2007
Renée
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
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Funniest twelfth-century book ever. I'm an obvious Abelard-devotee (despite being an atheist, who cares) and love him and his work to bits, but this book really is extremely underrated. It's bitter and angry, but that just makes it rather hilarious. Anyone with knowledge of all the great twelfth-century intrigues within the church and intellectual world would love this, but perhaps everyone else would as well. Give it a shot, it's very short and you've got nothing to loose. One of my all-time fa
...more
Aug 25, 2011
Betty
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography-auto
,
kindle
This autobiography has a little about Abelard's childhood, a lot on his college years and early years as a teacher, his relationship with Heloise, and his years as a monk. He wrote it when he was about 53 years old. I found it irritating how he was constantly paranoid that others were out to do him harm- he's just obsessed with this. I think he would have been happiest if he had filled a wagon full of books and then gone to live in a nice quiet cave. I liked how when he wanted to marry Heloise s
...more
Peter Abelard was not well loved by his contemporaries - they were afraid of his new scholastic approach to analyzing fine points of scripture; they resented the brilliance and creativity of his mind; they were furious at his popularity with the young students at the University in Paris. Of course, his dalliance with Heloise gave them ammunition to discredit him - not only did he lose his cojones - he lost his position as lecturer and served out the rest of his days as abbot of a monastery. That
...more
intellectuals and a pioneer of scholastic philosophy! The book, also called Histria Calamitatum, narrates Abelard’s life of challenge and threats, sad and tragic events, and the frequent attacks (and persecutions) against his instructions and interpretations, as a teacher, philosopher, and lover of Heloise. His misfortunes included many, for example, one of his books on theology that addressed the nature of Trinity was burned by the authority/Council; he suffered from the envy of many rivals, in
...more
I found Abelard to be egotistical and obnoxious. He has a real victim complex and really pats himself on the back for totally taking advantage of Heloise, who has a totally different version of things.
Too much whining and griping; not enough theological reflection on suffering from a supposedly brilliant mind. He's just an arrogant prick, a case study in what theologians hope not to become.
Apr 26, 2015
Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics-actually-worth-reading
I actually read this book online through Project Gutenburg. It is a memoir telling the story of Abelard's life and adventures, with particular focus on his epic romance. But, of course, this is a story which took place during the 12th century AD, adding an interesting layer of historical interest to what otherwise reads as a rather modern tale.
Oct 26, 2013
Amy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
school-reading
,
philosophy
This was the funniest book I've ever read that was old. The guy spends the majority of the book telling you how much better he is than everyone else, and though he acts humble on occasion, for the most part he's an incredibly intelligent jerk. No wonder everyone hated him :P
I did feel bad for him once I realized what Heloise's uncle did to him after the baby conceived in wedlock... Yeah. That was awkward (and sounded painful).
But yes---this book was absolutely hilarious for the most part, and q ...more
I did feel bad for him once I realized what Heloise's uncle did to him after the baby conceived in wedlock... Yeah. That was awkward (and sounded painful).
But yes---this book was absolutely hilarious for the most part, and q ...more
Like watching video of a wreck, in slow motion, played over and over again. The greatest misfortune of the logician and theologian, Pierre Abelard, was his compulsion to humiliate the rich and powerful, despite the severe penalties for doing so in 12th Century France.
Sadly, the legend of his love for Heloise also suffers in his retelling. He seems more concerned with his reputation than her welfare. Would've been better for his reputation if he'd never written this short memoir.
Sadly, the legend of his love for Heloise also suffers in his retelling. He seems more concerned with his reputation than her welfare. Would've been better for his reputation if he'd never written this short memoir.
Un documento unico, l'epistolario tra Abelardo ed Eloisa ci mostra uno squarcio unico dell'anima di due personaggi unici. L'amore tra il grande filosofo ed Eloisa, figura di donna unica per la sua modernità sconvolgente è tanto struggente ed emblematica quanto quella di Romeo e Giulietta. Con la differenza di essere una storia vera. La versione garzanti è perfetta nella completezza delle note a pié di pagina e dell'ottimo livello della traduzione.
Assolutamente da leggere.
Assolutamente da leggere.
As a memoir, this book is middling. It has its moments, but it's not truly memorable. At the same time, though, it's a fascinating insight into the medieval mindset and what it meant to be a scholar in Abelard's day. In my opinion, it's a completely worthwhile read solely on the strength of its interest as a historical document. My only reservation is that this translation tends to be a bit lifeless.
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Peter Abelard was the preeminent philosopher of the twelfth century and perhaps the greatest logician of the middle ages. During his life he was equally famous as a poet and a composer, and might also have ranked as the preeminent theologian of his day had his ideas earned more converts and less condemnation. In all areas Abelard was brilliant, innovative, and controversial. He was a genius. He kn
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More about Pierre Abélard...
“For my part, the more I went forward in the study of letters, and ever more easily, the greater became the ardour of my devotion to them, until in truth I was so enthralled by my passion for learning that, gladly leaving to my brothers the pomp of glory in arms, the right of heritage and all the honours that should have been mine as the eldest born, I fled utterly from the court of Mars that I might win learning in the bosom of Minerva. And -- since I found the armory of logical reasoning more to my liking than the other forms of philosophy, I exchanged all other weapons for these, and to the prizes of victory in war I preferred the battle of minds in disputation.”
—
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