Scholarship and sensationalism

How history chose to remember the most famous 12th-century couple

Ideas and stories have always competed for longevity, prestige and popularity. Like seeds, some fall on the side of the road to die before they can germinate; others germinate but don’t grow; others grow and change the landscape completely.

To judge from the story of Abelard and Heloise, it seems that the academic journal will always be beaten by the glo…