Final answer:
The correct option is a. The concept of love in medieval European literature that emphasized nobility and chivalry is known as romance. It originated in 11th-century France and became widespread across Europe, forming a significant part of the Romantic Era's literature and art.
Step-by-step explanation:
The medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry is called romance. This concept originated in present-day France during the 11th century and was a literary genre designed to entertain the nobility. It later spread across Europe, and it is often associated with stories of knights and their ladies, intertwined with the ethos of chivalry and the culture of courtly love. Classic examples that popularized this idea in the modern imagination include the court of King Arthur and the romantic entanglements of characters like Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere.
Courtly love was essentially seen as a dedicatedly platonic, higher moral love, often unfulfilled but deeply passionate. It was celebrated in poems, stories, legends, and songs disseminated by troubadours or wandering minstrels. This theme of love, nature, and historical ideals was also significant during the Romantic Era, a literary movement that cherished nature, common people, and the historical past.