Book Description

The questions directing this study of Reinhart Fuchs, particularly in comparison to the articulation of the same themes in Roman de Renard, seek to answer how the poet questioned aspects of his contemporaneous value system such as courtly love, gender roles, and sanctified violence against women. The exploration of these themes illustrate the ever prevalent connection between the Middle Ages and our contemporary world. The Middle Ages have bequeathed the 20th century world with a legacy of misogyny and an inheritance of violence, particularly against women. Questioning these precepts, as the Reinhart Fuchs poet did, is a primary means of recognizing traditions which have survived for centuries.

Irmeli S. Kuehnel has a Ph.D. in German literature, specializing in medieval Germanic literature, from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.