Marital and Ethical Problems at Court: Pontus und Sidonia by Eleonore of Austria: A Late Medieval Contribution to Austrian Literature

This article investigates how a late medieval female author, Duchess Eleonore of Austria, dealt with fundamental questions of love and marriage in her German-language novel Pontus und Sidonia. In essence, the work is a translation of the French version, and yet it is a significant and innovative contribution to German literature. Arguably, this work contributes to the body of Austrian literature. Since Eleonore addressed her husband explicitly, while also making a strong appeal to her audience, this novel may be studied as a literary work characteristic of the culture at the Austrian court of Tyrol. Moreover, it is a model case for ideal lovers who are destined to become partners in marriage. While Pontus und Sidonia has attracted only limited interest within modern scholarship, this piece argues that the novel deserves considerable recognition both in comparison with other prose novels of its time and as a literary work that signals a major paradigm shift in late medieval discourse on marriage, political leadership, and courtly ethics.