A Valentines Serenade for the Single Ladies

There is a reason why Valentines Day shares its name with a martyred saint. It’s a cruel holiday to be single.

If you don't wake up tomorrow to tiny cherubs dancing about your bed throwing roses at your feet and feeding you bon bons, please don’t despair. Winged babies are always up to no good, roses have nasty thorns, and you can buy your own darn chocolate(without anyone noticing just how much chocolate you have consumed in one day).

Instead, imagine that you are a 12th century peasant woman. The medieval dating rule book written by Andreas Capellanus sums up perfectly what you could expect along the lines of romance:

“If you love a peasant woman, praise her and force her–peasants don’t respond to gentle wooing.”

Or take some more modern love advice from Gertrude Stein:

“A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.”

Happy Valentines Day to all the single ladies!*

*And single men... if you forgive me for the blatantly cynical fish quote. I was not talking about you. It's a proven fact that men who read history blogs are the loving and sensitive sorts.