Popular Culture Review Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1993 | Page 48

46 ^PO£Ul^ Culture Review century evasions of unpalatable truth rob us of the grandeur of true tragedy, and the heart-piercing irony of Heloise and Abelard humbled to their knees by a jealous God. To understand the truth of our own lives, we must allow them the truth of theirs. If we deny them their reality, we deny our own. And that's the way the century ends: not with a bang, but a whimper. University of North Carolina, Greensboro Glorianna Locklear End Notes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. All references made to Historia Calamitatum refer to Betty Radice's translation, the most recent and readable, widely praised for its accuracy. The textual history of Abelard's work is long and varied, and thoroughly discussed by Radice (45-55). For those who would like to know more about Heloise and Abelard themselves, her general introduction (9-45) gives much specific detail as well as raising the major speculative questions. For those even more ambitious, the actual texts will be rewarding. The basic story is so widely known as to need no repeating here. The Personal Letters are contained in the Radice translation, as well as Abelard's Letters of Direction and Letters of Peter the Venerable and H eloise. Once again, Radice is a good starting place to pursue further textual study, especially her introduction and select bibliography. Informative bibliographical footnotes are also scattered throughout the text. Gilson's case is discussed in much more detail by Robertson (222 ff). It is mentioned here to illustrate the palpable ha rm already caused by Waddell’s transmogrification. All film quotations are exactly as spoken in the currently available video version. Works Cited Auden, Wystan Hugh. "Alexander Pope," in Essential Articles for the Study of Alexander Pope. Maynard Mack, ed. The Essential Article Series. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1964. 22-37. Barnard, John, ed. Pope: The Critical Heritage. London and Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1973. Donner, Clive. Stealing Heaven. Yugoslavia: Tri-Star, 1988. Pope, Alexander. "Eloisa to Abelard," in The Works of Alexander Pope. Vol. II. John Wilson Croker, ed. New York: Gordian Press, 1967. 218-57.