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Medieval Studies 227 Professor Michael Curschmann
Spring 00/01 micur@princeton.edu
THE WORLD OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Syllabus
Note: Texts available for purchase at the U-Store are marked by an asterisk. Texts identified as "xerox" will be distributed in class at the beginning of the week.
Lectures will be in 106 McCormick. Precept in 104 McCormick. MED 227 is taught with the aid of a specially designed computer program called mappamundi that will enable students to use their own computer or the nearest computer cluster to call up the images shown in the course for further study and to supplement these visual reminders with verbal explanations and glosses of various kinds. Explanatory material will be distributed at the first meeting. And a demonstration of the program will follow on the first Friday of classes. I. Points of View 1. Feb. 6 Introduction. Time and Space (with slides) Readings Primary: *Bede, Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow; *The Voyage of St. Brendan. Secondary: *Peters, Europe and the Middle Ages, 105-158; M. Barber, The Two Cities, 421-440. IN LIEU OF THE FIRST-WEEK PRECEPT, THE CLASS WILL MEET AT THE SAME HOUR (11:00 A.M.) ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY , IN MC CORMICK 106 FOR A DEMONSTRATION OF THE MAPPAMUNDI PROGRAM. Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 1
2. February 13 Orality and Literacy Readings Primary: *The Song of Roland. Secondary: M. Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record, 1-21, 224-252. Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 2 3. Feb. 20 The Book (with slides) Readings Primary: From Eckehart of St. Gall, The Chronicle of St. Gall (xerox); Johannes Hadlaub on the making of the Codex Manesse (xerox); T. G. Frisch, Gothic Art, 128-137 (xerox). Secondary: M. Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record, 114-144; *E. Peters, Europe and the Middle Ages, 213-270. PRECEPT IN RARE BOOK ROOM, FIRESTONE!
Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 3 4. Feb. 27 Symbols and Images (with slides) Readings Primary: Bestiary, ed. R. Barber, 7-49 (you can also use The Book of Beasts, ed. T. H. White, 7-35); C. Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art, 47-49; 164-167 (Gregory the Great; Gilbert Crispin); *E. Holt, A Documentary History, 1-8; 18-62, 88-91, 120-134 (Theophilus; St. Bernard; Abbot Suger; Gervase of Canterbury). Secondary: G. B. Ladner, "Medieval and Modern Understanding of Symbolism", in Speculum, 54 (1979), 223-256; Umberto Eco, Art and Beauty, 52-64. PRECEPT IN THE INDEX OF CHRISTIAN ART, MC CORMICK!
II. Cultural Diversity
Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 4
5. March 6 The Germanic North (Iceland) (with slides)
Readings Primary: *Eyrbyggja saga; Voluspa (xerox); Snorri Sturlusson on Germanic myth (xerox). Secondary: P. Foots - D. Wilson, The Viking Achievement, 52-64, 336-347. 6. March 13 The Jews in Western Europe GUEST LECTURES: M. COHEN Readings Primary: The Chronicle of Ahimaaz, 60-69 (xerox); R. S. Lopez- I. W. Raymond, Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World, 29-33 (routes of Jewish merchants) (xerox).
Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 6 TAKE HOME MIDTERM FIRST PAPER DUE! Midterm Break
7. March 27 Byzantium and the West (with slides) GUEST LECTURE: Tia Kolbaba Readings Primary: The Works of Liutprand of Cremona, trans. by F.A. Wright, Liudprand of Cremona, Relatio de Legatione Constantinopolitana, trans. B. Scott, pp. 27-57. From the Chronicles of Fulcher of Chartres and Anna Comnena (xerox).
Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 7 8. April 3 Islam and Western Europe GUEST LECTURES: A. HAMORI (Cultural Refinement/Books and Learning) Readings Primary: Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, 21-38, 87-89, 102-109, 230-231, 248-249; Al-Ghazali, Tahafut al-falasifah ("Incoherence of the Philosophers"), 1-3, 13-19; Petrus Alfonsi, Disciplina Clericalis, 124-125 (all in xerox). Secondary: The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, vol. 2, 202-218; C. H. Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, 278-349. Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 8 III. Vernacularization
9. April 10 Lyric and Musical Drama (with music and slides). Readings Primary: The Benediktbeuern Passion Play, in D. Bevington, Medieval Drama, 202-223; Adam de la Halle, The Play of Robin and Marion, in R. Axton, Medieval French Plays, 257-301. (Musical performances of Robin and Marion and the Passion are on reserve in the Music Library in the Woolworth Center). Secondary: B. Ford (ed.), The New Pelican Guide to English Literature 1, 2: The European Inheritance, 150-187. Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 9 10. April 17 Lyric and Arthurian Romance (with slides and music) Readings Primary: *Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival; Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, Kalenda maia (xerox); Lambert of Ardes, History of the Counts of Guines. (xerox). Secondary: B. Ford (ed.), The New Pelican Guide to English Literature 1, 2: The European Inheritance, 41-82. (A musical performance of Kalenda maia is on reserve in the Music Library, Woolworth Center). Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 10 11. April 24 Mysticism: The Women's Movement (with slides) Readings Primary: The works of Hadewijch of Brabant. Secondary: Frances Beer, Women and Mystical Experience in the Middle Ages. Important Glossary Terms and Images in Week 11 12. May 1 Religious and Secular Iconography (with slides) Readings Primary: *Holt, A Documentary History, 134-150 (Cennino Cennini). Secondary: Eco, Art and Beauty, 92-115. SECOND PAPER DUE! TAKE-HOME FINAL
Books on Reserve for MED/HUM 227
(Books on order at U-Store marked with an asterisk)
Beguine Spirituality: Mystical Writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg *Peters, Edward, Europe and the Middle Ages *The Age of Bede *Eyrbyggja Saga *The Song of Roland *Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival *Holt, Elizabeth, A Documentary History of Art, vol. 1 Barber, Malcolm, The Two Cities Clanchy, Michael, From Memory to Written Record Foote, P. G. The Viking Achievement Barber, Richard, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe Mundy, John H. Europe in the High Middle Ages, 1st ed. Davis, R.H.C., A History of Medieval Europe, 1st ed. Medieval Literature: The European Inheritance, vol. I, pts. 1 & 2 McEvedy, C., The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History Caldwell, J., Medieval Music Davis-Weyer, Cecilia, Early Medieval Art, 300-1150 Frisch, Teresa, Gothic Art 1140-1450 Theophilus, The Various Arts Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove Abbasid Belles-Lettres, The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, vol. II (xerox of the relevant portion) Wightman, G.B.H., Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster Haskins, Charles Homer, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century (xerox of the relevant portion) The Book of Beasts, ed. T.H. White Bestiary, transl. by Richard Barber Seltzer, Robert M., Jewish People, Jewish Thought (on reserve for NES 220) Eco, Umberto, Art and Beauty Speculum 54 (1979), xerox of article by F. Ladner The Works of Liutprand of Cremona, trans. By F. A. Wright Digenis Akritas. The Two-Blood Border Lord, trans. and ed. by D. B. Hull, Books VII and VII Writing in Gold. Byzantine Society and Its Icons, R. Cormack Beer, Frances, Women and Mystical Experience Axton, R. and Stevens, J. (transl.) Medieval French Plays (xerox) Bevington, David, Medieval Drama (xerox) Adam de la Halle, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion, transl. Schwam-Baird
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