Between unrestrained lustfulness and the aeseticism demanded by a castrating Church — extremes usually associated with medieval sex scenes in sell-out cinema productions — it seems like the right time to shed some light on love and its practices in the medieval world. Such is the goal of this work, which, without discreetly avoiding (quite to the contrary !) a few risqué practices, also touches upon more serious matters related to medicine, law and theology so as to provide a glimpse of all realms in which love and sex could be spoken, written, hidden — as well as enjoyed.

Bernard Ribémont, a professor of Medieval Literature at Université d'Orléans, has written several books and articles on medieval encyclopaedism, on Christine de Pizan, and on the perception of the Middle Ages through the centuries. He is the Publication Director of the Cahiers de recherches médiévales.