Old Codices, New Contexts II: Vernacular Manuscripts
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Centre for Medieval Studies, Univ. of Bristol
Organizer Name
Benjamin Pohl
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. of Bristol
Presider Name
Benjamin Pohl
Paper Title 1
The H(istoires) U(niverselles) 15 Project: On Trying to Create a Context for Manuscripts of Unedited Texts
Presenter 1 Name
Anne Salamon
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Laval Univ.
Paper Title 2
Reading the Codex: The Example of BL Manuscript Egerton 3028
Presenter 2 Name
Marianne Ailes
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Bristol
Paper Title 3
Medieval Book Collections: Jacques D'Armagnac's Books
Presenter 3 Name
Leah Tether
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Univ. of Bristol
Paper Title 4
From "Old" Latin Non-Literary Codices to "New" Vernacular Literary Context: Ecclesial Iconography in Manuscripts of the Estoire del saint graal (ca. 1275-1315)
Presenter 4 Name
Miha Zor
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Univ. of Ljubljana
Start Date
11-5-2019 3:30 PM
Session Location
Schneider 1325
Description
Medieval manuscript studies have developed significantly during recent years, with scholars proposing new ways of studying even some of the best-known codices and establishing new contexts for their use and transmission during the Middle Ages. In many ways, these exciting developments are due to widening access and digitisation projects which make the manuscripts in question available to scholars the world over and allow them to be studied and scrutinised not just with regard to the texts they contain, but also, ideally, with a view towards their paratextual features (rubrics, marginalia, glosses, etc) and signs of usage. At the same time, however, medieval manuscript studies still fundamentally depend on first-hand engagement with the material objects themselves, especially when investigating the manuscripts’ codicological attributes. It is often the combination of digital and in-situ study that has generated some of the most revolutionary and field-shaping discoveries with regards to medieval manuscript culture, and the two sessions proposed here aim to give scholars the opportunity to communicate and discuss some of their own work in this field, possibly including presentations on methodology. We are seeking to attract contributions from scholars across the disciplines who are working with manuscripts in such a way as to discuss new and alternative contexts of use, reception and transmission. For example, could a chronicle be used in a liturgical context? Could a draft or working copy be used in performative ways? Could a literary text be used as a historical compendium? What can the textual, paratextual and contextual features of these manuscripts tell us about the way(s) in which they were used and transmitted during the Middle Ages, especially when this usage differed from what is usually considered the manuscripts’ primary use or application? In short: can we establish new contexts for these old codices, and how so?
Benjamin Pohl
Old Codices, New Contexts II: Vernacular Manuscripts
Schneider 1325
Medieval manuscript studies have developed significantly during recent years, with scholars proposing new ways of studying even some of the best-known codices and establishing new contexts for their use and transmission during the Middle Ages. In many ways, these exciting developments are due to widening access and digitisation projects which make the manuscripts in question available to scholars the world over and allow them to be studied and scrutinised not just with regard to the texts they contain, but also, ideally, with a view towards their paratextual features (rubrics, marginalia, glosses, etc) and signs of usage. At the same time, however, medieval manuscript studies still fundamentally depend on first-hand engagement with the material objects themselves, especially when investigating the manuscripts’ codicological attributes. It is often the combination of digital and in-situ study that has generated some of the most revolutionary and field-shaping discoveries with regards to medieval manuscript culture, and the two sessions proposed here aim to give scholars the opportunity to communicate and discuss some of their own work in this field, possibly including presentations on methodology. We are seeking to attract contributions from scholars across the disciplines who are working with manuscripts in such a way as to discuss new and alternative contexts of use, reception and transmission. For example, could a chronicle be used in a liturgical context? Could a draft or working copy be used in performative ways? Could a literary text be used as a historical compendium? What can the textual, paratextual and contextual features of these manuscripts tell us about the way(s) in which they were used and transmitted during the Middle Ages, especially when this usage differed from what is usually considered the manuscripts’ primary use or application? In short: can we establish new contexts for these old codices, and how so?
Benjamin Pohl