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Latin 1030/ Medieval and Renaissance Studies 1022 MEDIEVAL LATIN |
| Instructor: Bruce L. Venarde, Associate Professor of History Office: 3P56 Posvar Hall Office hours: M 11-12, T 11-12 and by appointment bvenarde+@pitt.edu |
| DESCRIPTION AND GOALS |
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Latin 1030 is an intermediate level course in Latin language and literature that also serves a an introduction to medieval Latin culture. Readings will suggest something of the range of medieval Latin literature from the fourth century to the twelfth, with emphasis on central and western European and insular writing. Texts will be in a variety of genres and subjects in prose, poetry, and drama, including numerous short pieces and excerpts from longer ones plus three complete texts: an epic poem (Waltharius), and two Christian Latin plays ( Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim's Dulcitius and Paphnutius). There will be some attention to linguistic differences between the medieval Latins and their classical antecedents, especially in regard to vocabulary and grammar. Most of the course and classes will be concerned with reading medieval Latin and situating it in historical, literary, and cultural contexts. For most students, three semesters of college Latin or the equivalent will constitute sufficient preparation.
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| RESOURCES |
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As regards vocabulary, "medieval Latin" is just as overgeneralized a term as, e.g., "modern English" - - that is, words can mean a variety of things, different things in different contexts, and their usual or accepted meanings change over time. Alas, there is nothing quite like the OED for medieval Latin. The two best one-volume reference works are J.F. Niermeyer, Mediae Latinitatis Minus and R.E. Latham, Revised Medieval Latin Word-List from British and Irish Sources. The vast Thesaurus Linguae Latinae has the best claim to OED-like completeness. All three, and several other medieval Latin dictionaries, are available for consultation in Hillman Library. Since the editions we will use have extensive notes, you will probably find that a good standard classical Latin dictionary will suffice. The Book Center has a one-volume dictionary of ecclesiastical Latin (see "Books," below) that covers much of what classical Latin dictionaries lack for medieval texts; if you don't want to invest in that, there is is a good (not great) on-line word-list with emphasis on medieval Latin at http://kufacts.cc.ukans.edu/ftp/pub/history/Europe/Medieval/aids/latwords.html. just as there is no one medieval Latin language, there is no one medieval Latin grammar. The Sidwell anthology (see "Books") has an appendix on major similarities and differences between classical and post-classical tendencies. I will place on reserve in posvar Hall a fuller treatment of medieval Latin grammar which you may duplicate if you like.
For further information on reference and research tools, philology, and literature, see the essays in F.A.C. Mantello and A.G. Rigg, Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide. On the whole, you will find that although medieval Latin writings will contain a fairly large number of words ( or word usages) rarely or never used in classical Latin, medieval syntax is generally somewhat less complex than in Augustan or Silver Age verse and prose.
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ASSIGNMENTS |
Obviously, it is critical to keep up class by class; you should be prepared to translate any portion of a given day's assignment. In general, we will translate Waltharius and do sight-reading in Hrotswitha's plays on Tuesdays, work in the Sidwell anthology on Thursdays. You should make note of passages that confuse or suprise you; we will not always have time to translate everything in class, but you will have an opportunity to ask questions, either in class or in office hours. There will be three written assignments:
These will be worth roughly 15%, 20%, and 25%, respectively, of your final grade, in-class work the remaining 40%. Marked improvement across the semester will be amply rewarded. Nota bene: If you desire additional practice in translation and commentary on it, you may write out a polished translation for a given week's assignment and submit it to me. In calculating course grades, I will add one point to your final average for each of these you complete satisfactorily, up to a maximum of four. You must complete these before the Thanksgiving break.
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BOOKS (available at the Book Center, where learning goes through a metal detector) |
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PROPOSED SCHEDULE OF READINGS |
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What follows is ambitious but feasible. The intention is to assign whatever we can reasonably absorb across the course of the semester. As noted above, we will not be able to translate everything in class. Sight-reading, like the rest of the syllabus tentatively scheduled, is in brackets. Bring your copies of Hrotswitha's plays on Tuesdays, but you need not prepare them. So as to make your planning easier, the exams will be given on schedule and test whatever we have covered.
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