The thing we recognise as 'love' is probably closer to being the biological instinct to mate. Without that, there isn't really a human population around to begin with.
- BNC
So basically, marriage is still an arranged affair done for mostly economic reasons?
I personally don't buy that romantic love is a thing which came out of medieval Europe, simply because of all the non-European and pre-medieval stories I've heard which feature ideas which I would identify as romantic love. Maybe I have a broader definition of romantic love than other people?
But "courting rituals" are not even unique to other european romantic traditions, nevermind the rest of the entire planet.I think there are aspects of romantic love and courtship which are not completely overlapping with what we call romantic.
Think Lancelot and Guenievre. There is a particular form of distant respect and adoration, of precedence of the Lady which can be platonic.
If you read "La Princesse de Cleves", often called the first "roman" which is a specific French term, it goes over and over AND OVER over this. There was a strict set of steps to follow
There are courting ritual everywhere but I'd say some are fairly specific.But "courting rituals" are not even unique to other european romantic traditions, nevermind the rest of the entire planet.
But there were also other european courting rituals as well. Just a slightly different set of them might produce some form of divergence, but I am not sure it would be a notable one, like "wi the roman salute had been done w ith the other hand?"There are courting ritual everywhere but I'd say some are fairly specific.
Dropping the handkerchief comes directly from this. Tying a handkerchief or ribbon to a lance before joust...
It's also tied to Christianity: the princess of Cleves for example will join a convent rather than succumb to physical love.
Again, the whole idea is not specific but there are European specifics coming from chivalry ideals
Won't disagree here. I'm away from home due to work and with nothing better to do than reminisce at the nightmare that was the study of the Princesse de Clèves in lycée...But there were also other european courting rituals as well. Just a slightly different set of them might produce some form of divergence, but I am not sure it would be a notable one, like "wi the roman salute had been done w ith the other hand?"
Yes but that's not what OP is posting about. He specifically says Courtly love. Not the emotion, the set of ritualsThat doesn't change that love is an EMOTION. Emotions aren't inventions. It's as if he asked WI jealousy had never been invented (answer: Abel would have lived longer....)