"Tirant lo Blanc" (1490) und "Curial i Güelfa" (ca. 1450): Formen ritterlicher Liebe im späten katalanischen Mittelalter

Abstract

In this paper, some aspects of the concept of love are studied in the two best-known Catalan novels of the 15th century, Tirant lo Blanc (1490) and Curial e Güelfa (approx. 1450). The study is limited to the analysis of the behavior of the main characters – Curial and Güelfa, resp. Tirant and Carmesina – in three key situations: the beginning of love, some obstacles of love (spatial separation and interference of another woman) and the culmination of the love affair at the end. Essential differences between people's conception and behavior are shown: contrary to popular opinion, it seems that Curial is, psychologically, in many respects a more real protagonist than the improbable figure of Tirant who sometimes even contrasts his heroic deeds with ridiculous scenes of frustrated love. The detailed interpretation of some central scenes shows the possibility of interpreting Tirant lo Blanc as a great ironic reversal of the ancient ideals of chivalry, a magnificent and grandiose literary game, full of allusions to other authors and historical facts, and not at all as a "realist" novel.