LLIS26M5 - Medieval Manuscripts

Course Description

The manuscripts of the Middle Ages are treasures, obscure works of art, and rare survivals of a distant past. They're also, for most people, mysteries. This course will unlock some of those mysteries. You'll learn how and why the manuscripts were made. We'll trace their manufacture, from making the pages and inks to binding the finished books. We'll look at the art that adorns their pages and explore the reasons medieval people would invest so much time and labor into producing these works of art. You'll learn about scribes, bookbinders, and the artists who painted miniatures and illuminated the manuscripts that still leave us breathless today. We'll look at the 8th-century Irish Gospel the Book of Kells, as well as other manuscripts like the Tres Riche Heures of the Duc de Berry and the Ellesmere Chaucer. By the end, you might not be able to read Latin, but you'll see these manuscripts for what they are: fine art and voices from a distant past, not dusty, unreadable mysteries.