Cathedrals and Castles
History 201H
Course Description and
Objectives:
The medieval period conjures up visions of knights in shining armor, pious monks
and sweaty peasants. But was this the reality? By examining both the textual and
material sources of the medieval world, we will explore the lives of many
different medieval people. The castle and cathedral will act as our
portals into the important events, developments, realities, and achievements of
the medieval world. Students will be asked to analyze written sources, but also
make connections between what they read and what they see. Discussion of the
material and the historical sites visited will be vital to the course.
Required Books:
The Devil’s Door by Sharan Newman
A Medieval Life: Cecilia Pennifader of Brigstock by Judith Bennett
Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and Society in Medieval
All three are available new and used on Amazon
Electronic
Sources:
E-Reserve:
These should be printed out BEFORE we get to
1. Selections on the Middle Ages from World Civ Texts. available through E
Reserve. Please print out these chapters and bring them with you. Please read
the chapters on before the first class.
Please read these selections from the World Civ. texts
in the following order:
The
Foundations of Christian Society in
A History of
Western Society,
by Mackay, Hill and
The Crisis of
the Late Middle Ages
2. The Bourgeois Contempt for the Nobility (Renard the Fox) and The
Power of Money (Ruiz)
3. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise
Floregium
Urbanum:
1.
http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/introduction/intro01.html
Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
1. The Cathedral Chapter of
2. Three
Disputes involving the Cathedral Chapter of Notre-Dame of Chartres,
1215-1224
3. The Life of Guibert of Nogent, book I, chapters 1-23 at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/guibert-vita.html
4. Abbot Suger, The Life of Louis the Fat -- Please copy only chapters 2,
7, 11, 15, 19, 20, 24, 27 at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/suger-louisthefat.html
5. Abbot Suger, On His Adminstration at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sugar.html
6. Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, please copy only the court proceedings
for the year 1274 at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1274wakefield-courtrolls.html
7. Ademar of Chabannes:
Chronicle: Discovery of the Head of John the Baptist,
8. A Miracle of St.
Maximinus,
9. The Intervention of the Relics of St. Benedict at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/stben-relic-invention.html
10. Sermon Stories: Tales of Relics at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tales-relics.html
11. The Rule
of St. Benedict at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rul-benedict.html
12. The Life
of St. Goderic at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/goderic.html
Assessment:
Please be
aware that this is a different class experience, so some adjustments may be
needed and all of the above and below is subject to change. I’ll try to be as
accommodating as possible in regard to due dates, assignments and the like. But
do remember you are getting three credits of coursework for this class.
Students
will be assessed on the following:
Class Participation: Students are expected to come to class every day and
participate. The class will be run along a seminar model, so it is vitally
important that everyone come prepared and willing to discuss the course
material. If you miss more than one class you will fail the course.
Participation also includes going on the various excursions in and around
Quizzes: There will be reading quizzes if not every day, then close to
it.
DO THE
Presentations: All students will make two short presentations to the
class. One will be on what the material culture of a particular sort of medieval
person (aristocrats, peasants and clergy) suggests about their lives.
The points made in the presentation should be drawn from the material
culture seen at the Musée de Cluny, as well as the other museums and sites.
Each student should decide well in advance what sort of “medieval person”
he or she wants to report on. Dates for presentations: May 27, May 28, June 2,
and June 4.
For the second presentation, students will select a piece of art work that they
think embodies some of the major themes we’ve discussed in regard to the
society, culture, politics, religion and economics of the eleventh, twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. Presentations will take place in situ, in other words in
front of the object, and students will explain why the piece of art is
important. This will require doing some research on the object – like what it is
(genre), who made it (if there is an artist), when it was made and what its
function was. The student will present this information to the class and explain
how the object reflects an important theme, dimension, development, individual
or event that we’ve studied. So as you explore the various museums and
monuments, keep an eye out for a piece of art that “speaks to you” about the
Middle Ages! For practicality sake, please chose your object from the Louvre,
the Musée Cluny, Musée Carnavalet, Notre Dame, St. Germain-des-Près, or any
other site that does not require us to pay an entrance fee twice (St. Denis,
Ste. Chappelle, Château de Vincennes and Chartres would not be possible
candidates for your presentation).
Dates for presentation: June 10 and
June 11
Essays:
There will be two short essays due during the course of the program and one
synthetical essay due once we return. The short essays should be about 6
paragraphs or 2-3 pages in length and will be based on class readings,
discussion and visits to the monuments. Guidelines for the writing essays are
below.
Essay I:
Assignment: Peasants, Lords and Ladies
Consider the
lives of medieval aristocrats and medieval peasants as evident in the primary
and secondary sources that we’ve read. Compare the lives and experiences of a
member of the aristocracy with that of a peasant. What are some of the
similarities and differences in their lives? What forces shaped or defined their
lives? Topics for comparison include: their occupations, where they lived, their
material culture, their relationship with the community at large, the role of
family or kin in their lives and many, many more! Be sure to give examples from
the Lais, Lancelot, and the manorial court rolls to support and
illustrate your points. The
assignment is due Friday, May 30.
Essay II: Assignment: Cathedrals
How do the
medieval cathedrals we’ve visited reflect or embody the role that the church
played in medieval society? Based on what you’ve read and what you’ve seen, what
role or roles did the medieval clergy and the church as an institution play in
the lives of medieval people? What can
we learn about the society, belief system and mentality of medieval people from
texts but also the construction and function of medieval cathedrals? The essay
is due Friday, June 6. Please see the guidelines for writing your paper below.
Synthetical
Essay Assignment:
Cathedrals and Castles
Select ONE of the options below and write a paper in response. This assignment
is due by June 22. Please email it as an attachment to me at
alivingstone@wittenberg.edu
Please consult the guidelines for writing papers below.
Option I:
Our focus over the last few weeks has been to understand how cathedrals
and castles reflect the history of the middle ages. Your task in the synthetical
essay is to pull together all we’ve learned, read and seen about the middle ages
and discuss how the castle and cathedral represent the social, political,
economic, cultural and religious realities and developments of the medieval
centuries. How or why should the castle and cathedral be considered the symbols
of medieval society? Your essay should be typed and at least five pages in
length (12 point font, ¾ inch margins presumed).
Option II:
Be inspired by
Guidelines for Writing Assignments:
As you begin formulating your essay, be sure to develop a clear thesis
statement. Your thesis should take a stand, contain an explicit argument and be
stated clearly in the first paragraph of your essay. The body of the essay
should then elaborate on your thesis statement with each paragraph organized
around a topical sentence that develops your thesis. The conclusions
should remind the reader of your thesis by summarizing it. Make sure that each
paragraph contains a topic sentence and contains examples and explanation that
illuminate the topic sentence and thus your thesis. Paragraphs should be at
least four sentences long.
The most successful essays are those that cite many specific examples
and that include short illustrative quotations from the sources. The last
name of the author and page number should follow the quote or paraphrase in
parentheses, e.g. “As a result, we know about peasants and their lives
indirectly – from the writings of their social superiors” (Bennett, p. 3).
Be sure to use citations when quoting directly from the sources or when
paraphrasing.
Proofread your essay to avoid common grammatical or spelling
errors. More than five spelling or proofreading errors will result in an
ungraded paper. You will be assessed a ten percent penalty and given until the
next class period to redo the paper.
Your essays should reflect your own efforts and be about three
pages in length (with the exception of the synthetical essay which should be
about five pages and the creative option which should be ten pages).
It is assumed that all work submitted is your own. You will be asked to pledge
your work and any violation of the honor code will incur severe penalties.
Academic dishonesty of any form will not be tolerated.
Point Distribution:
Class participation:
100 points
Quizzes (total of 10):
100 points
Presentations
100 points
Essays (2 @ 100 points):
200 points
Synthesis Essay
200 points
700 points Total
Grading scale:
93-100% = A
78-79% = C+
60-62% = D-
90-92% = A-
73-77% = C
Below 60% = failing grade
88-89% = B+
70-72% = C-
83-87% = B
68-69% = D+
80-82% =B-
63-67% = D
Grading Criteria:
Written work will be evaluated on the student’s ability to craft a coherent and
well-supported argument. Each essay should contain a thesis and factually
accurate examples to support the student’s position. How these examples support
the thesis should also be made clear in the essay.
This brief explanation of what makes a “A” answer, a “B” answer, etc.. is
intended to demystify the grading process and make clear the course goals. These
are basic and general guidelines, which can help with student understanding of
course expectations.
A answer (superior):
Sophisticated thesis and well developed argument. Factually correct and uses
facts/examples to support and illuminate ideas. Moreover, the answer
demonstrates how the examples support the general thesis. Coherent and well
written. Demonstrates excellence in understanding of the course material and
communicates ideas clearly.
B answer (above average):
Solid thesis. Argument is well organized and coherent, but some points may lack
development or specific examples. Demonstrates command of factual material, but
not as sophisticated as an “A” answer. May have a somewhat weaker command of
writing skills.
C answer (average):
Weak thesis. Argument in under-developed or lacks examples. Tendency to narrate
as opposed to arguing a specific point. Not as strong in terms of writing or
analytical skills. Weaker command of course material.
D answer (below average):
No thesis or argument. Tendency to regurgitate facts as opposed to making an
argument. Lack of specific examples
or demonstration of understanding of the course material. Serious factual
confusion or errors. Poor command of the written word. Lack of clarity or
organization.
Fail (unacceptable):
No thesis or argument. Narrates rather than crafting an argument. Lack
organization and coherence. Fatal errors concerning understanding of course
material. Inability to relay ideas clearly or I n a well-organized or coherent
fashion. Poor writing and analytical skills.
Course Calendar and
Assignments
(maybe subject to
change due to dates for excursions)
Week One
Class 1: Tuesday, May 20
Introduction
to the Middle Ages
Please have the chapters from the World Civ. texts read by this class: All on E
Reserve
The
Foundations of Christian Society in
A History of
Western Society,
by Mackay, Hill and
The Crisis of
the Late Middle Ages
Excursion to the Archeological Crypt:
As you visit the archeological display, consider how
1.
What sorts of places or services were included in the city? What were the major
monuments? What do these monuments indicate about the society that produced
them?
2.
What did
3.
How did
Notre Dame
Cathedral:
Class 2: Wed,
May 21
The Middle
Ages in The Devil’s Door and World Civ Texts
Come prepared to discuss what you saw at Notre Dame and the Archeological crypt
Questions for the text:
1.
What are the main chronological periods of the middle ages?
2.
What are some of the key differences or changes that define each portion of the
Middle Ages?
3.
What were some of the major historical developments or personalities?
Questions for the Novel:
1.
How was Catherine’s society organized? What were the various classes?
Occupations?
Where did people live? Who lived where?
2.
What sorts of economic activities did people pursue? How would you describe the
economy?
3.
Who had power?
What is the basis of their power?
Class 3:
Thurs., May 22
Castle and
Cathedral in the Middle Ages
The Devil's Door
Start
Strong of Body, Brave and Noble,
chapter 1
Questions:
1. What was
the role of the church? What role did religion play in medieval society?
2. What were some of the cultural expressions of the time? Consider art,
literature, philosophy, education, etc.
3. How is this society changing? What is changing? What are some of the tensions
in the society?
4. What are people uneasy about? How is culture affected by change and tensions?
5. What was the function of a medieval castle? Consider The Devil’s Door.
What sorts of things did people do in castles? What sorts of events took
place in a castle?
Assignment for Excursion to the Musée Cluny: Recovering the Middle Ages
Use the artifacts at the Musée Cluny to consider what you can reconstruct about
medieval life from its material culture. Consider also what you’ve read in the
World Civ. Text and The Devil’s Door. What can you learn about social
structure, economic organization, political structures, and religious beliefs
from these artifacts? Can you make deductions about what life was like for
certain people, for example peasants, women, children, monks? What assertions
can you make about medieval civilization based on what is left of it?
Pick a medieval person (Lords/ Ladies; Monks/Nuns/Priests/Bishops; Male/Female
Peasant; Male/Female Merchant or Urban Dweller) and reconstruct what their lives
would have been like. What function did they play in medieval society? How did
they live? Students will prepare an oral presentation discussing their “medieval
person” You can use supplement what you determine about medieval culture with
readings from the course texts.
Class 4:
Friday, May 23:
The Medieval
Aristocracy
Strong of
Body, Brave and Noble,
chapters 1 and 2
Questions:
1. What role
or function did lords and ladies fulfill in The Devil’s Door? What was
the function of the medieval aristocracy? What did they do? Why?
2. What was
the basis for the power of the medieval aristocracy? What kinds of power did
aristocrats have? Give some examples from the novel.
3. What was
the relationship between the lords and the peasants? The king?
4. What
relationships defined or shaped the medieval aristocracy? How as the aristocracy
organized?
5. Why did people build castles? Who
built them? What does this suggest about politics and power in the middle ages?
6. Who lived in castles? What were the various duties and functions of lords?
What was “feudalism”? How do castles reflect the feudal system?
Excursion to Musée Carnavalet:
Examine the material culture of the peasantry and medieval aristocracy. What
artifacts remain from each class? What do these artifacts suggest about the
lives of these people or their place/function/role in medieval society?
How does the material remains of the elites and workers of society change over
time? Why? What might this suggest about how society itself is changing?
Week Two:
Class 5:
Monday, May 26
Ladies and
Lords: Life in a Medieval Castle
Strong of
Body, Brave and Noble,
Chapter 3
Read Guigemar
and Le Fresne in Lais of Marie de France
Questions:
1.
What role did family play in the lives of medieval aristocrats? How would you
describe aristocratic family relations?
2.
What role did women play in the running of the castle or in aristocratic life?
3.
Who lived in a castle? Who depended upon the castle?
4.
Compare and contrast the information in Strong of Body, Brave and Noble
with the stories told by Marie de France? What sorts of roles do women play in
the lais? What relationships were important to them? What sort of power
did they have? What was the source of their power?
5.
Compare what you’ve read in these sources with Newman’s depiction of medieval
life in The Devil’s Door. How did Newman portray medieval aristocratic
women? How well is her interpretation supported by the sources?
6.
What was the relationship between the castle and the village?
Excursion to
St. Germain des Prés:
The
Compare and
contrast the
How would you
account for the differences between this church and the cathedral of Notre Dame?
Class 6:
Tuesday, May 27
Medieval
Warriors
Strong in
Body, Brave and Noble,
Chapter 4
Lancelot
Presentations on Recovering
Medieval Aristocratic Life
Questions:
1.
What does the term “chivalry” connote? What role did chivalry play in the life
of the medieval knight?
2.
What does the existence of knights and lords suggest about the political
structure of medieval
3.
Contrast the “historical” view of chivalry with that of the literary depictions.
What were the “ideals” of chivalry? What was the reality?
4.
Consider the experience of Yvain. What were some of the challenges confronting
medieval knights? What was his relationship like with women? What role did his
wife play?
5.
What were the values and ethos that medieval knights and their ladies thought
were important? How did such values shape their society or lives? What impact
did they have on culture and religion?
Excursion to
St. Denis:
Please read
Abbot Suger, On His Adminstration at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sugar.html
before the excursion
As you walk
about the cathedral, think about what Abbot Suger wrote in his memoir. What role
does light play in the interior of the church? What affect does the light have?
What purpose might it serve?
The cathedral
at St. Denis is the mausoleum for the French kings. Examine the tombs of the
French kings. How were the kings
portrayed? How can you tell it is a royal tomb? What symbolized royal power? Be
sure to look in particular for the tombs of those kings associated with the
period of our course, eg. From 900
to 1300. How do royal tombs change over time? Why? What might this suggest?
Class 7:
Wednesday, May 28
Peasants and
Lords
A Medieval Life,
Chapters 1-4
Presentations on Recovering Medieval Peasant Life
Questions:
1.
How did Newman portray the relationship between lord and peasant in The
Devil’s Door? What role did peasants play in the novel? How did she depict
peasants?
2.
What function did peasants serve in medieval society?
3.
What was the relationship between peasants and lords? Was Cecelia’s experience
usual for most peasants?
4.
What constituted Cecelia’s world? What were the important people and places in
her life?
5.
What role did the church play in the lives of peasants? What were some of
peasants’ religious beliefs? What does this suggest about the church and
medieval society?
6.
How are peasants portrayed in The Lais of Marie de France and Yvain?
What does this suggest about
medieval society’s attitudes about peasants?
Excursion to the Louvre:
As you walk through the rooms associated with the medieval period, what do you
see? What kind of art was produced? What are the themes or subjects of this art?
What might this suggest about the middle ages?
What can you determine about connections between the art of the medieval period
and the art of the Romans or the Renaissance? What differences and similarities
of style do you see among Roman, Medieval and Renaissance/Early Modern Art?
As you tour the Louvre, how are peasants portrayed throughout the ages? Would
medieval peasants be familiar or comfortable with the world of peasants of later
centuries or of a different culture? What changed or was different? What
remained the same?
Class 8:
Thurs, May 29
All Day
Excursion to
Please read the following sources before the trip
The Cathedral Chapter of Chartres: at
The Riot of 1210
Three Disputes involving the Cathedral
Chapter of Notre-Dame of Chartres, 1215-1224
Questions:
1.
How does
2.
Where is the cathedral placed in the town? What might this suggest about the
role of the church in the urban center? How might it explain tensions between
the cathedral chapter and the town?
Class 9:
Friday, May 30
Peasant Life
Essay I Due
A Medieval Life,
Chapters 6 and
7
Court Rolls of
the Manor of Wakefield for 1274
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1274wakefield-courtrolls.html
Questions:
1.
What role did kin play in Cecelia’s life? Which relatives played the most
important roles her life?
2.
What is an “economy of makeshifts”? What does it suggest about peasant life?
3.
In what ways were economic activity and kinship intertwined?
4.
What does the peasant economy suggest or illustrate about the medieval economy
in general?
5.
Consider the court rolls. What sort of information can you extract about peasant
life from them? What are the strengths and limitations of these court rolls as a
source for peasant life?
6.
What do you think of Bennett’s use of these sources? How well was she able to
reconstruct medieval peasant life?
Week Three
Class 10:
Monday, June 2
Peasants and
Urban Dwellers
Presentations
on Urban Dwellers
A Medieval
Life,
Chapters 8, 9, 10
Life in Medieval
E Reserve:
The Bourgeois Contempt for the Nobility
(Renard the Fox) and The Power of Money (Ruiz)
Questions:
1.
What role did the community play in Cecelia’s life? In the lives of medieval
peasant general? How does this compare with the medieval aristocracy?
2.
Was
Cecelia’s experience as a woman common? How did her life compare with those of
her sisters or peers? What was similar? Different? What part did differences in
gender play in the lives of medieval peasants?
3.
Evaluate
Bennett’s interpretation of peasant life. What are its strengths? What are its
weaknesses? How would you compare Newman’s depiction of peasants with that of
Bennett? Would Bennett approve of the way Newman portray medieval peasants?
4.
How did life
as a merchant differ from that of a peasant or lord? What was urban life like?
Consider Newman’s novel and the description of medieval
5.
What tensions
existed about medieval merchants? How did lords and peasants view them?
Excursion to Château de Vincennes:
In preparation
for the excursion, please review pp. 15-23 in Strong of Body, Brave and
Noble.
How was this
château organized? What sort of spaces were included in its plan? Why?
What does this
castle suggest about royal power? How would lords, peasants, merchants and monks
respond to it?
Why would
possession of castles be so important to kings and lords?
How does the
castle compare and contrast with the cathedral?
Class 11:
Tuesday, June 3
Kings and
Castles
Abbot Suger, chapters 2, 7, 15, 19, 20, 24 of
The Life of King Louis the Fat at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/suger-louisthefat.html
Questions:
1.
What role did kings play in Newman’s novel? What does this suggest about royal
power?
2.
How would you evaluate the power of kings in the time of Louis VI the Fat?
3.
How did Louis assert royal power? Who were his allies? Who were his enemies?
4.
What role did castles play in the conflict between king and noble? What does
this suggest about the role of the castle and the power of the nobility?
5.
Why did Louis want to capture these castles? How does Suger justify Louis’s
actions?
6.
Consider the royal tombs at St. Denis. How were they expressions of royal power?
What does St. Denis suggest about the intersection between the church and the
monarchy?
Excursion to Ste. Chapelle:
How does the chapel of Ste. Chapelle compare with the other gothic churches
we’ve seen? What are some of the similarities and differences?
What does the chapel suggest about royal power? What was the purpose of the
chapel? Why did Louis IX have it built? What does this suggest about the
intersections between the church and the king?
Class 12: Wednesday, June 4
The Medieval Church: Monks
Presentations on Medieval Clergy
Strong of Body, Brave and Noble,
Chapter 5
A Medieval Life,
Chapter 3???
The Rule of St. Benedict
at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rul-benedict.html
The Life of Guibert of Nogent, book I, chapters 1-23 at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/guibert-vita.html
Questions:
1.
What role did the church play in medieval society in The Devil’s Door?
What sort of functions or activities did
members of the clergy undertake?
2.
What is a monk? What is their purpose in the church? In medieval society?
What did Guibert spend his time doing?
3.
What was Guibert’s life experience? Who was he? What was his social status? Who
were the people who were important in his life?
4.
What insight does Guibert’s life provide into the life of the aristocracy? How
does his family life compare with what we read in Yvain, the Lais of Marie de
France, and Strong of Body, Brave and Noble?
Excursion to the Louvre:
As you look at the art of the modern period, how are the middle ages or what
remains of the medieval world portrayed? What might this suggest about how later
societies viewed this period and its people?
As you tour the museum, how are peasants portrayed throughout the ages? Would
medieval peasants be familiar or comfortable with the world of peasants of later
centuries as depicted by Van Gogh or Courbert? What changed or was different?
What remained the same?
How does art reflect the historical period that produced it? What can you learn
about a society by viewing its art? What can you discern about the way people
thought, what they feared, what they liked, how they saw the world?
Class 13:
Thursday, June 5:
The Lives of
the Medieval Clergy
Review
Guibert’s Memoirs
Abbot Suger,
On His Adminstration at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sugar.html
Letters of Abelard and Heloise on E
Reserve
Questions:
1.
How does Guibert’s life as a monk compare with that of Abbot Suger? Abbess
Heloise? What did Suger spend his
time doing? How was Heloise’s experience as a female monastic different from
those of Guibert and Suger? How would her life have been similar?
2.
What were some of Guibert’s beliefs? How did he view the world?
What role did he see God or the supernatural playing in the world?
What were some of his fears? Concerns? How do they compare with what
we’ve read (and seen) about other medieval people, like nobles and peasants?
3.
Did Guibert mention any problems concerning the church or his fellow monks? What
might this suggest ?
Excursion to
the Louvre:
As you walk
around the Louvre, what role does religion play in art? What themes did artists
chose to portray and how did what they chose to portray change over time? How
might these changes reflect changes in religion or the role that church played
in society?
How are the
clergy portrayed in art? Do you detect any criticisms or tensions about the role
of the clergy in the art?
Class 14:
Friday, June 6
Saints,
Miracles, Pilgrimage and Cathedral
Essay II due
Ademar of
Chabannes: Chronicle:
Discovery of the Head of John the Baptist
The Intervention of the Relics of St. Benedict at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/stben-relic-invention.html
A Miracle of St.
Maximinus
Sermon Stories: Tales of Relics at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tales-relics.html
Questions:
1.
What were relics? What role did they play in medieval Christianity?
2.
Why were relics important to medieval people? Why were they important to the
monks and the medieval church? What role did relics play in The Devil’s Door?
3.
How are relics related to cathedrals and churches? Where were relics housed?
What impact might this have had on architectural design? Remember Suger’s
comments about the decoration and organization of the cathedral of St. Denis.
4.
What insight do relics and pilgrimage provide into the mentality of medieval
people?
Week Four
Class 15:
Monday, June 9
Cathedrals
and Cities
Please review
the following sources:
The Cathedral
Chapter of
Three Disputes
involving the Cathedral Chapter of Notre-Dame of Chartres, 1215-1224
Abbot Suger, On His Adminstration at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sugar.html
Please read
the following sources
Abbot Suger,
chapters 11 and 27 of The Life
of King Louis the Fat at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/suger-louisthefat.html
The Life of
St. Goderic at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/goderic.html
Description of
Urban live at:
http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/introduction/intro01.html
Questions:
1.
What tensions were evident in medieval society as depicted in The Devil’s
Door? Were there any tensions or problems between different ecclesiastical
communities? Why?
2.
What insight does The Devil’s Door give into life in a medieval city?
What was urban life like? How did it compare with life in a castle or the
countryside?
3.
How does the life of Guibert compare with the Cathedral chapter at
4.
Why was there a riot in 1210? What does this suggest about the role of the
church in medieval secular society? Why might tensions develop?
5.
Why was the cathedral at Notre Dame of
6.
What did Abbot Suger spend much of his time doing? What were his concerns? What
was his relationship with the secular world?
7.
How do the real life experiences compare with that of Abbess Heloise as
portrayed in the novel, The Devil’s Door?
Excursion to the Musée d’Orsay:
As you look at the art of the modern period, how are the middle ages or what
remains of the medieval world portrayed? What might this suggest about how later
societies viewed this period and its people?
As you tour the museum, how are peasants portrayed throughout the ages? Would
medieval peasants be familiar or comfortable with the world of peasants of later
centuries as depicted by Van Gogh or Courbert? What changed or was different?
What remained the same?
How does art reflect the historical period that produced it? What can you learn
about a society by viewing its art? What can you discern about the way people
thought, what they feared, what they liked, how they saw the world?
Class 16:
Tuesday, June 10
Presentations:
Class 17:
Wednesday, June 11
Cathedrals and
Castles: Closure and Presentations
Questions:
1.
How well or accurately did Sharan Newman capture medieval society?
2.
How do cathedrals and castles reflect the historical realities of the medieval
period? The lives of individuals?
3.
What do the amazing accomplishments of cathedrals and castles tell us about the
middle ages?
Thursday, June
12: Free Day in
Friday, June
13: Depart
Sunday, June 22 Synthetical essay due. Email to Dr.
Livingstone