Peter Abelard - Cultural References

Cultural References

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 1761 epistolary novel Julie bears the subtitle The New Héloïse (La Nouvelle Héloïse), and is often referred to as Julie, or The New Héloïse.
• Helen Waddell's novel "Peter Abélard" (1933) is loosely based on Abélard and Héloïse. The novel was the basis of the play "Abélard and Héloïse" (1970) by Ronald Millar.
• Alexander Pope's poem "Eloisa to Abelard" (1717) is written from the point of view of Héloïse in her convent. Line 209 of the poem is also the source of the movie title "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
• Abélard and Héloïse are referenced throughout Robertson Davies's novel The Rebel Angels.
• Abélard is referenced in Charles Williams' novel The Place of the Lion.
• Howard Brenton's play In Extremis: The Story Of Abélard And Héloïse was premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2006.
• Anne Carson's 2005 collection Decreation includes a screenplay about Abélard and Héloïse.
• Enrico Garzilli's musical "Rage of the Heart" is about Abélard and his love for Héloïse.
• In Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle, the heroine has a dog named Héloïse and a cat named Abélard.
• Henry Miller uses Abélard's "Foreword to Historia Calamitatum" as the motto of Tropic of Capricorn (1938).
• J. D. Salinger refers to Abélard in De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period (1952).
• Spanish singer and songwriter Joaquín Sabina refers to the couple in the song "Pájaros de Portugal".
• Stealing Heaven (1988) starring Derek de Lint and Kim Thomson is a based on Marion Meade's 1979 novel about the couple.
• The letters of Abélard and Héloïse are discussed in The Sopranos episode "A Sentimental Education" (2004).
• Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad tells a satirical version of the lovers' story.
• Richard Shindell mentions Abélard in his song "Nora".
• John Cusack's character stages a street-puppet show featuring Abélard and Héloïse show in the movie Being John Malkovich.
• Josh Ritter mentions Abélard in his song "Bright Smiles" (2003).
• Cole Porter mentions Abélard and Héloïse in his song "Just One of Those Things"
• Leonard Cohen writes a few paragraphs about Héloïse in his first novel 'The Favourite Game' (1963)
• The Scritti Politti song "The World You Know" (from the album Anomie & Bonhomie (1999)) contains the couplet "I'll tell you who we are // Héloïse and Abélard".
• Antoine Audouard's novel "Adieu, mon unique" (2000) (English transl.: "Farewell, my only one") tells the story of Abélard and Héloïse from the perspective of a third fictive character.
• A Fine Frenzy's song "The World Without" (2007) makes a reference to Abélard and Héloïse.
• John Flanagan's series "Ranger's Apprentice" contains a horse named Abélard.
• Abaelards Liebe, a German language novel by Luise Rinser, depicts the love story of Hloise and Abelard from the perspective of their son, Astrolabe.
• Stephen DeCesare's musical "Forever, Heloise" based on the real love story of Abelard and Heloise. "Forever Heloise Home Page". http://sdecesare.com/heloise.html. Retrieved 2005-01-07.
• David Morrell's book Brotherhood of the Rose mentions Abelárd and Héloïse and their relation as the base for the 'Abelárd Convention', the premise for the safehouses run jointly by several different national security agencies as neutral grounds.