INTRODUCTION TO MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS

Carrie Benes
New College of Florida
Fall 2005
MTh 2-3:20 pm
Office: Palmer E-127
Spring Office Hours: M 3:30-5, W 10-11 am; Th 10 am-noon
Email: benes at ncf dot edu
Classroom: LBR 154

For a printable PDF version of this syllabus, click here.

This course will introduce students to the history of the Middle Ages (ad 400-1500, approximately) through the material evidence of its written remains.  Since societies are in part defined by their means of communication, the class will examine the Middle Ages through medieval people’s changing uses of manuscripts to record and communicate business, scholarship, literature, and spirituality—contrasting for example the early medieval Book of Kells with late-medieval Italian account books.  The course will integrate a historical approach (seeing manuscripts as evidence of broader social change) with a practical approach to the mechanics of manuscript production: what materials were used, as well as how styles in writing and illustration changed over time.  The course will include the examination of actual medieval manuscripts in person and on the web (in digitized form).  Classes will combine lecture and discussion; students are responsible for three short papers and a final exam.  No prerequisites or enrollment caps.

Required Texts

Christopher de Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators (University of Toronto Press, 1992) and A History of Illuminated Manuscripts (2nd ed., Phaidon, 1997); Michelle Brown, A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600 (University of Toronto Press, 1994); Michael Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record: England 1066-1307 (2nd ed., Blackwell, 1993); and Marc Drogin, Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique (Dover, 1989) are all available for purchase at the bookstore.  Clanchy and Drogin are recommended but not required; Drogin will be especially useful to you if you plan a creative project (see below). 

Other required readings will be available on the internet and on E-Reserve; links will be posted on the readings page (found here).

Procedures and Requirements

The course will be held as a lecture/discussion, meeting twice a week. The first session each week will consist of a lecture on the historical topic assigned for that week, with visual material presented in PowerPoint; the second will be devoted to the participatory exploration of medieval books, book production, and their connection to the broader social themes of the course; script conventions and change; illumination and decoration techniques; codicology; conventions for specific types of books (e.g. liturgy); and similar topics.  Active student participation is both encouraged and expected.

Students are required: to attend and participate in all class meetings, as well as to complete weekly readings and written assignments.  In addition, there will be two short announced map/ID quizzes; three short (4-6 page) papers; and a comprehensive final exam.

Please do the assigned week’s reading before Thursday, so that you can participate fully in class discussion.  As a courtesy to those around you, please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices before entering any classroom.  If you use such devices (PDAs, laptops, etc.) for notetaking, please ensure their volume is turned off.  I reserve the right to answer any ringing cell phone.

Assessment

Your evaluation will be based on the following criteria: attendance, participation, written assignments, and quizzes; three prepared essay assignments; and final exam.  You must complete all major assignments in order to receive a satisfactory evaluation for the course; more than 2 weeks of missed or late weekly responses will also result in an “unsat”.  The final exam will be an open-book exam in essay format; it will ask you to synthesize and analyze material from the lectures, readings, and discussions.

All assignments must be handed in and exams taken as scheduled; documentation (doctor’s note, sheriff’s note, etc.) will be required for last-minute emergencies.  This rule is not negotiable.

Weekly Assignments

Each week’s reading will include a list of four or five key manuscripts that relate to the week’s readings; these will be presented as plates &/or catalogue entries.  You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the key aspects of each manuscript (origin, contents, major features, etc.) prior to discussion on Thursday. 

Further, every Thursday that you do not have a quiz or other assignment due, you will be responsible for a 10-minute in-class written response to one of these assigned manuscripts (your choice).  You may use your books and notes, but you may not prepare responses ahead of time; the only writing required will be in class.  At the same time, neither should this be a free-association free-for-all:  you will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of the material, to have an opinion, and to substantiate your claims logically.

Essays

You are responsible for handing in three essays over the course of the term.  Each of these should be a short formal description (instructions to be handed out) of a manuscript you have researched online; I will hand out a list of online archives in class.  In essence, your essay should describe the manuscript and its contents carefully, and then explain its probable origin and broader context; the ultimate point is to explain why your particular manuscript is significant for the wider study of medieval history.  Essays should be between 4 and 6 pages long; they must be typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked, with page numbers.  Essays must include a bibliography or full footnotes and all sources must be documented.  Emailed papers and papers outside the specified length will not be accepted.

I am happy to help you with outlines or rough drafts up to the Friday before papers are due.  Although your argument is by far the most important part of your essay, you will be assessed for style as well as content. If you are uncertain about how to write a history paper, or how to cite your sources, please consult my Guidelines for Writing a History Paper handout, the Writing Resource Center (which also has fabulous online advice on the writing process), and/or the following resources:

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style (New York, 1918).
Mary Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (3rd ed., New York, 2001).

Please feel free to consult me with any questions.

Essay alternative:  instead of ONE of your three essays, you may choose to do a creative project exploring medieval techniques of writing, illumination, binding, or other book arts.  You must meet with me at least two weeks before the paper’s due date to have your idea approved, if you wish to pursue this option. 

The New College Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The Conference is a nationally-recognized conference held every two years on our campus; its particular strengths this year are in Italian history, the English Renaissance, and manuscript studies.  The plenary speakers (major scholars, who have been invited to give the two main talks) will be Patrick Geary, a medieval historian from UCLA, and Giuseppe Mazzotta, a scholar of Italian literature from Yale University.  You are encouraged to attend as many of the panels as you find interesting, but for this class you are required to attend at least two of the panels dealing with manuscripts.  You should then write a 2- to 3-page review of one panel, to be handed in the following Monday.  Formal details and conference programs will be handed out before the conference begins; information is also available at the conference website.  This is a major academic event of a kind rarely to be seen in Florida; take advantage of it while it’s here!

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism or cheating in any form will not be tolerated.  This includes using anyone else’s words, data, or bibliographical information as your own—if you have questions on how or what to cite, consult the sources listed above or see me.  Any infractions will be referred at once to the proper college authorities.

Communications

Email and internet access are essential in this course.  The course syllabus, assignments, and announcements will all be posted here on the course webpage. The syllabus on the website will always be the most recent “official” version; the “readings” page will always be the most up-to-date list of assignments. Please note, the readings page (a hotlinked version of the course schedule, found here) is password-protected:  to access this page, you must use New College authentication procedures (i.e. for “username” enter “student\yourusername”, then your password).

In addition, I will be contacting you via email to answer questions, make announcements, and so forth.  In line with a new policy from the Provost’s Office, I will only send email to your NCF email account, so please keep it current, or you will miss out.  Email is also the best way for you to contact me; I am a self-confessed email junkie, and I make every effort to reply to questions as soon as I get them.

“Reserve” Books

I will put on reserve Cook Library’s copies of the books which are relevant to this class.  However, my personal collection in this field, consisting as it does of a number of hard-to-obtain specialist books, is better than the library’s, and you will probably need to use many of them in the course of your research this semester.  The books I own are listed in the syllabus (when assigned) and marked on your research bibliography handout.  You are encouraged to come to my office to use them; I have set aside Thursdays, 10 am-noon, specifically for this purpose, although you need not confine yourself to those hours.

Office Hours

If you have any questions or comments about the course during the term, please stop by my office hours; I am happy to chat about college, history, medieval studies, grad school, study abroad, or other totally irrelevant subjects.  If you have a conflict with my regularly scheduled hours, just email me or see me during class to set up an alternative meeting time.  In particular, please let me know as soon as possible if you have any unusual circumstances or difficulties with which I can help you.

 

Have a great semester!

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Schedule of Lectures & Readings

 

Important Note: This is the public version of this syllabus. The student version with links to Powerpoint presentations and online readings can be found here.

Other Important Note: Each Monday's Powerpoint will be posted on the readings page for reference; just click on the lecture title.

Third Important Note: Books noted as “Cook” are on reserve in the library; those noted as "CEB" are in my own collection.

WEEK 1: JAN 30 & FEB 2       
Introduction: Methodology & Terminology

discussion: What is a manuscript? Introduction to codicology (parchment, assembly, ink, binding, etc.).

read: Christopher de Hamel, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, introduction
De Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators (all)
Richard Rouse & Mary Rouse, Authentic Witnesses, introduction (online)

examine: The Vergilius Vaticanus---Taschen pp. 50-1 (CEB); Steffens pl. 10b
The Morgan Beatus---Williams, Early Spanish pl. 12-22 (Cook/CEB)
Manesse Codex---Taschen 196-9
Sforza Hours---Evans (CEB)

WEEK 2: FEB 6 & 9
Transformation:  Early Christianity & the Codex

discussion: Decoration & design I:  Introduction to palaeography & ductus.

read: Michelle Brown, Western Historical Scripts pp. 1-23, 30-1
Reynolds/Wilson, Scribes & Scholars, ch. 1 (online)
Armando Petrucci, “The Christian Conception of the Book in the 6th and 7th Centuries” (online)
James John on script terminology (online)
EITHER John Wright, The Roman Vergil and the Origins of Medieval Book Design (in office)—on the classical tradition
OR Harry Gamble, “The Uses of Early Christian Books” (online)—on the effects of Christianity

examine: Vienna Genesis---Taschen 58-61; Weitzmann, Late Antique pl. 23-8 (Cook/CEB)
Codex Sinaiticus---British Library
Vergilius Romanus---Wright (as above)
Vienna Dioscorides---Taschen 54-7; Weitzmann pl. 15-20
Augustine Gospels---Cambridge Illuminations #1 (CEB)

WEEK 3: FEB 13 & 16
Localism:  Early Medieval Preservation & Loss

discussion: Script I:  Uncial and Pre-Caroline.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 1
Brown, Scripts pp.  24-9, 32-57
Michelle Brown, The World of the Lindisfarne Gospels (all; in office)
Reynolds/Wilson, ch. 3, pts. i-iv (online)
Petrucci, ch. 4, “Book, Handwriting, and School” (online)

examine: Codex Amiatinus---Steffens pl. 21b; de Hamel figs. 9, 10
Lindisfarne Gospels---Backhouse (CEB)
Gospels of Willibrord---Nordenfalk, Anglo-Saxon pl. 9-12 (Cook/CEB)
Cambridge Bede---Cambridge #3
BN Lat. 12168, Augustine on the Heptateuch---Alexander, Decorated Letter pl. 3 (Cook/CEB)

WEEK 4: FEB 20 & 23
Imperialism: The Carolingian Imposition of Order

discussion: Quiz #1.  Decoration & design II: Caroline reform.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 2
Brown, Scripts pp. 58-71, 118-9
Rosamund McKitterick, “The Production and Possession of Books: An Economic Dimension” (online)
Bernhard Bischoff, “Libraries and Schools in the Carolingian Revival of Learning” (online)
David Ganz, “The Preconditions for Caroline Minuscule” (online)
Carrie Benes, “Evolution of the E-Cedilla” (online)

examine: Godescalc Evangelistary---Steffens pl. 45a; Taschen 76-7; Mütherich pl. 1-3 (Cook/CEB)
Vienna Coronation Gospels---Taschen 78-9; Mütherich pl. 8-10
Utrecht Psalter---Taschen 90-1
Aratea---Taschen 92-3; Mütherich pl. 18-9
Alcuin Bibles---Mütherich pl. 20-3; Steffens pl. 47

WEEK 5: FEB 27 & MAR 2
Breakdown: The Rise of Localism

discussion: Production & provenance I: Monastic libraries.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 3
Jonathan J.G. Alexander, “Illuminators at Work: The Early Middle Ages” (on reserve & in office)
Jean Leclercq, Love of Learning and the Desire for God ch. 1, 5, 7 (online)
Francis Wormald, “The Monastic Library” (online)
Lowe, The Beneventan Script, introduction (online)

examine: Beatus of Silos---Williams pl. 36-40
Harley Psalter---Backhouse, Illuminated Page, 24-5 (CEB)
Bury Bible---Cambridge #19
Anglo-Saxon/Parker Chronicle---Parker Library, pl. 22 (CEB)

WEEK 6: MAR 6 & 9
Reform: Religious Revival

due: Mon Mar 6, Book description #1.

discussion: No class Thursday; NCF Medieval-Renaissance Conference Thurs-Sat.
Fri Mar 10, 5-6 pm:  Manuscript Exhibit Reception, Ringling Museum.

read: De Hamel,  History ch. 4
Brown, Scripts pp. 72-91, 120-5
Michael Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record ch. 3, 7
Rouse & Rouse, “Philip, Bishop of Bayeux, and His Books” (online)
Reynolds/Wilson ch. 3, pt. xi (online)

examine: Winchester Bible---Taschen 136-7; Alexander, Decorated pl. 19
Eadwine Psalter---Cambridge #25
Matthew Paris, Chronica Maiora---Cambridge #115; Parker 74-9
Rievaulx Orosius---UK Cistercians site

WEEK 7: MAR 13 & 16
Urbanization: Cathedral Schools and Universities

due: Mon Mar 16, Conference review. 

discussion: Script II:  Post-Caroline and Gothic.

read: Clanchy, From Memory ch. 5
Reynolds/Wilson, ch. 3 pt. xii (online)
De Hamel, Glossed Books of the Bible and the Origins of the Paris Book Trade ch. 1, 2 (online)
Graham Pollard, “The Pecia System in the Medieval Universities” (online)
Rouse & Rouse, “The Development of Research Tools in the 13th Century” (online)
Albert Derolez, The Paleography of Gothic MS Books, introduction (online)

examine: Peter Lombard’s Great Gloss, Trinity B.5.4---Cambridge #26
Tours MS 558, Gratian’s Decretum---de Hamel fig. 116
Masters of the Sacred Page pl. 6, 13, and 20---(CEB)
Autograph of Thomas Aquinas---Steffens pl. 95
Carmina Burana---online

****Mar 20-24: SPRING BREAK*****

Fri-Sat Mar 24-5: Performances of Carmina Burana at the Van Wezel (with the Southwest Florida Symphony, Key Chorale, and the Sarasota Ballet)

WEEK 8: MAR 27 & 30
Centralization: The Power of Monarchy I

discussion: Production & provenance II: The rise of bureaucracy; intro to charters.

read: Brown, Scripts pp. 92-7
Clanchy, From Memory ch. 1, 2, 6
Leonard Boyle, O.P., “Diplomatics” (online)
Olivier Guyotjeannin, “French Manuscript Sources 1200-1330” (online)

examine: Charter of Charlemagne---Steffens pl. 41
Domesday Book---Steffens pl. 74
Papal charters---Steffens pl. 76, 80, & 91
Charters of Henry II, Frederick II, & Philip Augustus
Pilkington and Cambridge University charters---Cambridge #133, 178

WEEK 9: APR 3 & 6
Court Culture: The Power of Monarchy II

discussion: Decoration & design III:  Illumination & courtly books.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 5
Clanchy, From Memory ch. 4, 8
Alexander, “Programs and Instructions for Illuminators” and “Illuminators at Work: The 12th and 13th Centuries” (on reserve & in office)
Forsyth, “A French Mediaeval Writing Tablet” (online at JSTOR)

examine: Gospels of Henry the Lion---Taschen 138-41
Ingeborg Psalter---Taschen 142-5
Bible moralisée---Taschen 156-9
Morgan Crusader Bible---Taschen 168-9
Trinity Apocalypse---Marks/Morgan, Golden Age pl. 12-13 (Cook/CEB); Cambridge #40; Taschen 166-7

WEEK 10: APR 10 & 13
Literacy: Economics & the Emerging Middle Class

due: Mon Apr 10, Book description #2. 

discussion: Script III: Merchant letter.

read: Brown, Scripts pp. 98-105
Clanchy, From Memory ch. 9-10
Petrucci, “Reading and Writing Volgare in Medieval Italy” (online)
Rouse & Rouse, “The Commercial Production of Manuscript Books in Late 13th-Century and Early 14th-Century Paris” (online)

examine: Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus & Criseyde---Cambridge #129
Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia---Steffens pl. 103; Kirchner pl. 39 (CEB)
Christine de Pizan, Livre de la Cité des Dames, Epitre d’Othea---Taschen 260-3
Lorris and de Meun, La Roman de la Rose---Cambridge #123

WEEK 11: APR 17 & 20
Devotion: Late Medieval Piety

discussion: Quiz #2.  Production & provenance III:  Books and religion: liturgy, heresy, and literacy.  Books of Hours.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 6
Roger Wieck, Painted Prayers, introduction (in office)
Roger Wieck, Time Sanctified ch. 2-4 (in office)
R. I. Moore, “Literacy and the Making of Heresy, c. 1000-1150” (online)
Gabriel Audisio, “Were the Waldensians More Literate than their Contemporaries?” (online)
Anne Hudson, “Laicus litteratus: The Paradox of Lollardy” (online)

examine: Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux---Avril, Court of France pl. 3-10 (Cook/CEB)
Wenceslas Bible---Taschen 242-7
Tres Riches Heures du duc de Berry---(CEB)
Black Hours/Sforza Black Prayer Book---Taschen 362-3; 372-3

WEEK 12: APR 24 & 27
Humanism: Renaissance Renovatio

discussion: Decoration & design IV:  Renaissance artistic principles & the book.

read: Brown, Scripts pp. 126-35
Alexander, Italian Renaissance Illumination, introduction (in office)
Bischoff, Latin Paleography ch. C6 (online)
Rouse & Rouse, “St Antoninus of Florence on Manuscript Production” (online)
Albinia de la Mare, “A Florentine Cartolaio’s Shop, 1426” (online)
Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca), “An Abundance of Books” (online)
Derolez, “Petrarch’s Script Reform” (online)
Vespasiano da Bisticci, lives of Poggio Bracciolini and Niccolò Niccoli (online)
Ullman/Stadter, Public Library of Renaissance Florence, excerpts (online)

examine: Hands of Petrarch, Poggio, and Niccoli---Thompson pl. 71, plus (CEB)
San Vito Suetonius---Alexander, Renaissance pl. 13-4
Hours of Lorenzo de’ Medici---Alexander pl. 3; Taschen 390-1
Cambridge Suetonius---Cambridge #160

WEEK 13: MAY 1 & 4
Printing: Continuity and Innovation

due: Mon, May 1: Book description #3.

discussion: Production & provenance IV:  Gutenberg & early printing.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 7
Janet Ing, Johann Gutenberg & His Bible, ch. 1-3, 5, 9 (on reserve)
Rouse & Rouse, “Backgrounds to Print: Aspects of the Manuscript Book in Northern Europe of the 15th Century” (online)
Elizabeth Eisenstein, The Printing Revolution ch. 1-2 (online)
Bob Scribner, “Heterodoxy, Literacy, and Print in the Early German Reformation” (online)

examine: Morgan Library Aristotle---Alexander, pl. 17-8; Taschen 386-9
Gutenberg Bible---British Library; De Hamel, Bible pl. 144-55 (CEB)
Nuremberg Chronicle---Beloit College
Printed books of hours (from the Gordon Collection, University of Virginia)

WEEK 14: MAY 8 & 11
Luxury: The Princely Book Persists

discussion: Script IV: Bâtarde & Secretary.

read: De Hamel, History ch. 8
Brown, Scripts pp. 106-11
Alexander, “Illuminators at Work: the 14th and 15th Centuries” (on reserve & in office)
Vespasiano da Bisticci on Federigo of Montefeltro (online)
Wim Blockmans, “Manuscript Acquisition by the Burgundian Court and the Market for Books in the 15th-Century Netherlands” (online)
Thomas Kren, “The Library of Margaret of York and the Burgundian Court” (online)
Gordon Kipling, “The First Royal Library” (online)

examine: Hours of Mary of Burgundy---facsimile CEB
Petrarch’s Triumphs---Taschen 338-41
Grandes Chroniques de France---Taschen 342-5
Bible of Federigo da Montefeltro---Taschen 374-7
Federigo da Montefeltro’s Dante---Alexander pl. 23-6; Taschen 378-81

Monday, May 15: Final exam, 2-5 pm in HCL 5 (computer lab). Open book; okay to bring USB drives, but no laptops.

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