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"L. Otis-Cour, Love Matches, Charity, and Society in Medieval "Couple Romances." Belying the stereotype of a medieval literature obsessed with adulterous love, the "couple romances" (or sentimental romances) of the late Middle Ages celebrate the happiness arising from love experienced within marriage. In this respect, they reflect canonical norms (perpetual monogamy, marriage by consent of the spouses) and contemporary developments in theology, medicine, and law. Conjugal love is presented in these romances as the equivalent of Christian charity ( caritas); the reciprocal affection of the couple is judged to be the best preparation for the government of society, and not an obstacle to the integration of the individual into society. Far from constituting an "escape literature," these romances hold a mirror to the changes in mentality and society taking place at the end of the Middle Ages."