The rods of love: a case of thematic intertextual relationship between Occitan, French and German troubadour lyrical poetry

Abstract

This article offers an example of the literary contacts between the Occitan, French and German troubadours’ traditions through the comparison and classification of the use of the literary motif of the rod. This particular metaphor has allowed us to trace a network of antecedents and influences that demonstrates the fluidity with which literary motifs crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries during the Middle Ages. Our analysis has led us to discover the use of the image in little-known texts, to refocus classic compositions from a new perspective and to bring apparently distant works into close relationship.