Unit name | History of the Book |
---|---|
Unit code | AFACM0012 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Professor. Putter |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Humanities |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In this unit, we will study the fascinating history and development of the book as the main medium of the written word from its earliest incarnations (for example, codices made from papyrus) to the advent of print. Together we will trace the production, use and dissemination of books from rare luxury objects, venerated relics and personal keepsakes to everyday household items and mass-produced commodities. Drawing on original sources as well as scholarly literature, we will reflect critically on the various socio-cultural conditions and technological developments that determined how, why and by whom books were used during the medieval period (and beyond). In an age where the book in its traditional format is accompanied regularly, and sometimes challenged, by a variety of different, and increasingly digital, media, it is key for students of the Middle Ages to develop a detailed understanding about the ways in which books allowed medieval individuals and communities to communicate across time and space, exchange knowledge and codify memories. Books will be studied not merely as vehicles for content, but also, and importantly, as powerful material and symbolic objects. Through a series of interdisciplinary, team-taught seminars, the unit aims to provide students with a comprehensive, innovative and multi-faceted set of analytical tools and research techniques that will allow them to engage independently, confidently and competently with the rich world of medieval book culture.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to
Weekly 2-hour seminar (team-taught)
Summative assessment:
5,000 word essay, primary source based (100%)
Linked to ILOs 1-4, 6
Formative assessment:
In-class presentation
Linked to ILOs 1-5
The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, Vol. 1: c.400-1100, ed. R. Gameson (Cambridge, 2011); Vol. 2: 1100-1400, ed. N. Palmer (Cambridge, 2008).
The Cambridge Companion to the History of the Book, ed. L. Howsam (Cambridge, 2015).
A Companion to the History of the Book, ed. S. Eliot and J. Rose (Malden, 2008).
R. Clemens and T. Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007).
The History of the Book in the West: A Library of Critical Essays, Vol. 1: 400AD-1455, ed. J. Roberts and Robinson (Farnham, 2010).
M. B. Parkes, Their Hands Before Our Eyes: A Closer Look at Scribes (Aldershot, 2008).