Prompt: What echoes of the 12th-century Renaissance do you hear in this text? Give an example and discuss.

The way that beauty was discussed in these readings was almost unsettling in a way. It seems like beauty was the main reason for not only depicting the icons but for always recreating their beauty.  There's a quote that says, "Without that beauty, our world becomes incomprehensible." The way beauty and religion are connected in this reading reminded me of the romances that we had read. Tristan and Yseut had many descriptions of their physical features, but religion was deeply ingrained in their relationship. The Cid and his wife: he thanked God for her like every 3 pages. Abelard and Heloise, well, he had said she wasn't very pretty, but he talked about his own looks. Sir Lanval talked about how stunning his girl was and called her "Beautiful One." 

Being gorgeous was a connection to God, as people were made in his image. If you weren't beautiful, maybe you didn't have the favor of God. The link between beauty and religion was real. Those are also two important features in these 12th-century romances.