Love In Bloom – Jannine Corti Petska

Posted April 20, 2012 by DiDi in Contests, Love In Bloom / 36 Comments

The Love In Bloom Extravaganza will feature an author a day from 3/30 – 5/16/12. Daily book give aways and a GRAND PRIZE of a Nook Touch or Kindle Touch ($99 gift cert for INT) See form at end of post for details.

What’s Love Got To Do With Romance?
Can we have romance without love, or love without romance? Or do romance and love go hand-in-hand? In today’s relationships, these questions are as varied as the people who answer them. It’s well-known that women want romance in a relationship, a man she can call her own, a man she can shower with love. Men are more carnal. They’re after one thing: sex. Of course, not all men are like that, yet it’s the nature of a man’s composition.
Imagine what love and romance were like 600 to 1000 years ago. Love was furthest from all the reasons two people married. Wealth and prestige was at the top of the list, along with real estate and heirs. From antiquity, when first marriages were by capture and not by choice, to early medieval times, a woman had little—if any—say about whom she married.
           
My focus here is on the medieval period, more precisely courtly love. While country marriages were often a result of love shared by the couple, nobles considered marriage a business transaction. If the husband and wife eventually fell in love, they were the lucky ones. In today’s society, imagine being forced to marry a virtual stranger. What if you’re stuck in an arranged, loveless marriage? We have many options for escape; for medieval people, very few options existed.
Somewhere around the 12th century, the sinful nature of passion (as seen through the eyes of moralists) began to ease and gave way to courtly love. Depending on the country, the regions and towns, many young men and women tested the waters of love. Romance blossomed as knights serenaded their ladies and wrote poems, though most were written by troubadours. You will find this line in their Code of Chivalry: “Be respectful of host, women and honor.”
Ovid, a Latin poet of the time, “described the symptoms of love as if it were a sickness.” (CalPoly online source) The afflicted sighed, turned pale or red, were feverish and unable to eat or sleep. Not much different than today’s couple deeply in love. Still, not every man had the freedom to choose; arranged marriages continued for nobles. However, courtly love heightened the status of women. Too bad they couldn’t choose the man of their dreams. But they were given the chance to be wooed by a gallant knight before any wedding ceremony took place.
Courtly love and chivalry gave romance and love a push in the right direction. There are many customs we use that date back to medieval times. What I found interesting in my research was all the “rules” that were drawn up in the Code of Chivalry and the Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry. Courtly love had its own set of rules with 31 listed in The Art of Courtly Love, a doctrine compiled by Andreas Capellamus, a 12th century author. He believed in passionate love. On his list was, “No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons.” And another, “He who is not jealous cannot love.” What about number 31: “Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women.” Did the man who romanced the lady to her liking win her heart? I’ll bet the woman got the man she truly loved, and the man split his time between both of the women he chose.
But what about the aspect of romance? Perhaps it had been confused with passion and love. Although knights are considered a romantic breed, in the medieval period one did not distinguish between romance and love in their pursuit of a lady. Remember how men viewed and still view a relationship? Yet the tides of respect for the fairer sex changed for the better in this period of history.
The envoys of the heart should be
The noble deeds of chivalry:
A daring charge, an escalade,
A knight or banner captive made’
A pass against a host maintained,
A name through trials borne unstained—
Thus love most eloquently speaks;
This is the homage maiden seeks.
—Giraud Calanson
Translated from Provencal by John Rutherford
Now that’s romantic.
Knights, chivalry and courtly love went hand-in-hand. Was the romantic notion of a knight and his lady real? Or not? Allowed the freedom, did they fall madly in love for the rest of their lives? Or was the romance made up of fairy tales? And was romance and love one in the same or different? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Jannine Corti Petska

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Surrender to Honor. Winner will be seleceted using random.org on 4/22. Winner must be a GP Follower, leave a comment and fill out the form below.
SURRENDER TO HONOR, book 2, Italian medieval series

Blurb
Prima Ranieri seeks retribution for her family’s death and loss of home and land. Her plans go awry when the heir to the powerful Massaro family returns home. After only one glance, Prima’s attraction to him undermines her furor toward those she blames for her plight.
After a fifteen year absence, Antonio Massaro returns to Palermo to find a war raging between his family and the evil Falcone. His refusal to accept his rightful position as the head of the Honored Society carries serious consequences. The welfare of the people of Palermo is at stake. But one look at the beautiful woman Prima has become costs him his heart. She’s a deadly distraction…one that jeopardizes her life as well as his own. 

 Excerpt
Antonio ordered Prima thrown into the dungeon. In this scene, he goes down to release her from the rack where he had previously secured her wrists and ankles.
     “If you confess, you will find yourself free before nightfall.”
    “I have naught to confess.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze.
    “You attacked me. By what reason did you greet me with unfriendly intentions?”
    “I thought you were a…thief, looking to prey on the innocent women weeping for their dead.”
    “Liar.”
    She glared up at him.
    “You had no other reason than to seek revenge on the Massaro and the Falcone. You thought I came, summoned to Palermo by one of those families, another man willing to join forces with powerful foes.”
    “Was it not I who you bade to confess? Alas, since you have spoken my truth, as I already did after you captured me, am I free to leave?”
    Antonio forced back a grin caused by her saucy remark. “Clever, piccola.” He pulled open the cuffs at her wrists anyway, ignoring the shock spanning her features. “They were never locked,” he admitted, watching her shock turn to seething hatred.
    She sat up, rubbing her wrists. He scooped her surcoat from the rushes and sat down beside her legs on the raised rack. When he took her hand in his, she snatched it away.
    “I mean only to tend your cuts,” he said.
    “I shall see to them myself.” Prima tugged her surcoat out of his hand. “The ankle cuffs?”
    Antonio glanced back at her wiggling feet, all the while aware that her eyes were on the leather tie holding his long hair in place. It was uncommon for a man of wealth and honor to wear his hair below his jaw; he didn’t care. He turned then and caught her staring. The ill-lit dungeon did not conceal the warm flush unfolding up her cheeks.
    “It appears we are in a small quandary. The ankle cuffs are locked, and I have not the key.” He rose to search the dungeon. He picked up an axe and curled his fingers around the leather  wrapped handle. From the corner of his eye he watched Prima as he raised the old weapon to his lips and blew the dust free. When he cleaved the table with the sharp blade, Prima gasped. “This should do, I think,” he said.
    “Wh-what are you about?” Her eyes widened as he raised the weapon high above his head. “What—? Dio!” She clasped her hands behind her neck and pulled her head between her knees. The chains jerked  her ankles and her legs slammed together, snapping against her ears. He knew of no easier way to rid her of the chains. One final blow freed her completely. She raised her head, rubbing her ears, and shook herself of the gypsy bells undoubtedly tinkling within. She touched her hair, felt her neck, and exhaled loudly.
    Astonished, Antonio asked, “Think you I would take your head?”
    She boldly met his gaze. “Sì.”

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Posted April 20, 2012 by DiDi in Contests, Love In Bloom / 36 Comments

36 responses to “Love In Bloom – Jannine Corti Petska”

  1. LunaZega

    What a wonderful post! I can’t even imagine being in an arranged marriage, but I have to say that my parents couldn’t possibly have chosen men worse for me than I have! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Maria D.

    Great post and some really good points about love and how society has viewed it over the ages. I think the romantic notion of a Knight and his lady love are not real, we would like them to be but I think that in reality they didn’t have much freedom because there was always someone who controlled a woman’s future.

    Thanks for the excerpt for Surrender to Honor, it sounds like an interesting book.

    Reply
  4. Jannine

    Hi Maria:
    Unfortunately, we’re still in a man’s society, and they still like to control women. Sadly, there are women out there in nightmare relationships that have nothing to do with arranged marriages.

    What I think is awful in the medieval period (and others as well)is the age of the woman’s future husbands, especially when the women were, in reality, young girls.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Reply
  5. Miriam Newman

    Good post, Jannine, and this is one of the better forum-style blogs I have seen. I was able to follow it easily. It’s a nice presentation for your post. I wonder why the theme of the arranged marriage is so prevalent in romance? Maybe because of the inherent conflict?

    Reply
  6. Joanne

    What a really great post. I can’t imagine living long ago and having to survive an arranged, loveless marriage. Thanks fir the excerpt and the giveaway.

    Reply
  7. Lauren Mackesy

    I definitely don’t think love and romance go hand in hand. You can have a romance when you start dating someone but not love them, yet. Or you can have love but no romance. My husband and I very rarely have time for romance but we still love each other. This was an interesting question. Thanks so much for the giveaway.
    Lauren

    Reply
  8. DiDi

    Thank you Jannine for such an awesome post. I have been thinking about it since I added it yesterday.

    I don’t think romance and love go hand in hand. I think some people are in love with romance but not actually in love with the other person. My parents just celebrated their 42nd anniversary, and I have to admit, my Daddy isn’t the most romantic man in the world, but the love he and my mom have for each other has withstood some major ups and downs.

    Miriam, thank you =)

    Thank you everyone for stopping by!

    Reply
  10. Jannine

    Hi Miriam:
    You may be right about the conflict in arranged marriages in romances. I doubt very few couples were as hunky and beutiful as a couple in the romance book, lol.

    Thank you so much for coming by.

    Reply
  12. Jannine

    Hi Lauren:
    I think love and romance are different and just lke you said. My husband and I will be married 40 years soon, but it’s a struggle to fit romance into our lives. However, we’ve decided it’s about time we do!

    Thank you.

    Reply
  13. Jannine

    Hi DiDi:
    All marriages have their ups and downs, but love bonds a couple and helps them get through the rough patches. Then there are those who are in love but can’t live together or they’d kill each other! LOL

    Thanks.

    Reply
  14. Jannine

    Hi April:
    I’m with you. In my historical romances, my heroines are strong-willed, and against all odds she does hold out for love.

    Thanks for commenting.

    Reply
  15. bn100

    Very nice post. I think romance and love sometimes go hand-in-hand, but it probably depends on the person.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply
  16. StacieD

    Reading about how heroines were forced into arranged marriages is very interesting to me. I have a friend from India who married a man her parents chose for her. She had only met him two nights before the wedding. I think it takes a lot of work but all marriages do.

    geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

    Reply
  18. Jannine

    Hi Stacie:
    There are many cultures today where a woman enters into an arranged marriage. I’ll never understand how these countries can remain in the Dark Ages about such matters.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Reply
  19. Eileen

    very interesting post to think about. would I have been able to have an arranged marriage? I don’t think so. Thank goodness I live in today’s times and that I found out what love is with a good man.

    Reply
  22. Susan Blexrud

    Jannine, you know I admire your attention to detail and the great research you do for your novels. It translates in your lovely prose and heartfelt characters.

    Surrender to Honor sounds fantastic!

    Reply
  24. Ilona Fridl

    Great excerpt, Janine! Your detail is excellent. I think, in a sense, the feeling of love has always been the same. The situations, unfortunately, have not.

    Reply
  30. Barbara

    GREAT post and giveaway! I’d like to think that romance and love go hand in hand…even with an arranged marriage. However, I think it depends on the people. If they want it to work and are attracted to each other…then I think with some ‘romancing’, in time love can follow. Otherwise…I don’t want to think about it.

    barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

    Reply
  31. Anonymous

    Hi Miriam,
    Well, I guess I am the devil’s advocate here. I know several couples whose marriages were arranged. I can see that there marriages seem to have a higher liklihood of staying together. I think that may be because for most of us the rush of ‘endorphins’ (wildly in love) giving away to the ‘blahs’ of oxytocin, creates an unrealistic view that the ‘high’ will always be there. Oxytocin is the marriage glue that binds. Arranged marriages, where the potential partners get to meet and both get to decide if they wish to proceed to marriage, seldom have these wild expectations and instead hope to find companionship, and instead often find true abiding love.
    Susan

    Reply
  32. MaryC

    I think expectations are different in an arranged marriage.nHow well it works really depends on the couple.

    Reply
  33. bas1chs

    I’d love to think that there was love and that it could be as we think of it today, but my logical mind says it just wasn’t so then. Arranged marriages, duties, and different ideals seem to have been less about the falling in love but best matches – then you love that person. But I could be wrong…

    Reply
  34. DiDi

    Thank you Jannine for a great post! Thank you all for stopping by!

    Congrats to StacyD you are the winner of Jannine’s post!

    Reply
  35. Jen B.

    I know the giveaway is over but I wanted to comment anyway. I got lucky and married a great guy. I was just telling a friend that I frequently wake up and find my husband…(I am letting dirty minds work overtime)…holding my hand. It’s so sweet. He says he like to touch me to know that I am there.

    Reply

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