INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL

CHAPTER 8: THE RISE OF MEDIEVAL CULTURE

I.  LEARNING OBJECTIVES

·        To explain the significance of Charlemagne’s rule and his contributions to the cultivation of education, music, illuminated manuscripts, and architecture

·        To set forth the characteristics of Benedictine monasticism

·        To present important women who chose the monastic life:  Hildegard of Bingen and Roswitha

·        To explain the structure of the Gregorian chant

·        To describe the rise of liturgical and nonliturgical drama

·        To explore the visual arts of medieval Europe

·        To define and illustrate the Romanesque style

II.  OUTLINE OF CHAPTER CONTENTS

The Middle Ages

          Migrations

Charlemagne

          Charlemagne and Islam

          Charlemagne and Economics

                   Tolerance of Jews

          Learning in the Time of Charlemagne

          Carolingian Culture

Monasticism

          The Rule of Saint Benedict

                   The Regulated Day in the Monastery

          Women and Monastic Life

Music

          Gregorian Chant

                   Gregorian Style

          The Liturgical Trope

Literature

          Venerable Bede

          Beowulf0

          Hildegard of Bingen

          The Nonliturgical Drama:  Roswitha

          The Morality Play:  Everyman

          The Song of Roland

Visual Arts

          The Illuminated Book

                   The Utrecht Psalter

                   Calligraphy

          Carolingian Architecture

                   The Carolingian Monastery

          Ottonian Art

          Romanesque Art

                   Saint Sernin

                   Sculpture

                   Tapestry

The Legend of Charlemagne

III.  FIGURES, MAPS, AND TABLES

Figure 8.1  Hildegard of Bingen, “Vision of God’s Plan for the Seasons”

Figure 8.2  Gold frame with three gold hinges

Figure 8.3  Bishop Eadfrith of Lindisfarne, from the Lindisfarne Gospels

Map 8.1  The Carolingian World

Figure 8.4  “Saint Matthew,” Vienna Coronation Gospels

Figure 8.5  “Saint Matthew,” Ebbo Gospels

Figure 8.6  Rembrandt van Rijn, Saint Matthew and the Angel

Figure 8.7  Guido Reni, Saint Matthew the Evangelist

Figure 8.8  Hildegard of Bingen, “Vision of the Ball of Fire”

Figure 8.9  “The Four Evangelists,” Aachen Coronation Gospels

Figure 8.10  Drawing for Psalm 150 (detail), Utrecht Psalter

Figure 8.11  Crucifixion, carved ivory panel

Figure 8.12  Palatine chapel (palace chapel of Charlemagne)

Figure 8.13  The Major Parts of the Monastery

Figure 8.14  Plan for an ideal monastery, Saint Gall, Switzerland

Figure 8.15  Church of Saint Michael (restored exterior), Hildesheim, Germany

Figure 8.16  Adam and Eve Reproached by the Lord, panel of bronze doors

Figure 8.17  Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France

Figure 8.18  Floor plan, Saint Sernin

Figure 8.19  Nave, Saint Sernin

Figure 8.20  Cathedral of Saint-Lazare, west tympanum detail of Last Judgment

Figure 8.21  “Proclamation to the Shepherds,” Lectionary of Henry II

Figure 8.22  Battle of Hastings, detail of the Bayeux Tapestry

Figure 8.23  Reliquary of Charlemagne

IV.  SUGGESTIONS FOR CLASSROOM DISCUSSION

Gregorian Chants

Listen to and discuss examples of Gregorian chants.  Include in these some chants written by Hildegard of Bingen.

Romanesque Art and Architecture

1.  Discuss how a pilgrim or medieval peasant might have felt upon entering and worshiping in a Romanesque church.

2.  Compare the Crucifixion (Fig. 8.11) to the Ara Pacis or the Column of Trajan.  What are the differences between Romanesque art and Roman art?

3.  Compare a church in your hometown to one from the Middle Ages.  In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different?  Consider the floor plan, architectural elements, and decorative elements of each.

5.  Bernard of Clairvaux objected to the decoration of Romanesque churches.  Do you prefer churches (or other such buildings) that are highly decorated or little decorated?  Why?

The Hero’s Quest and the Song of Roland

1.  How does the Song of Roland exemplify the hero’s quest?  Who is the hero of the epic?  What is the hero seeking?  Why?  What trials are involved?  How do these trials contribute to the maturation of the hero?  What are the hero’s rewards?

2.  Compare and contrast the Song of Roland to The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and/or the Aeneid.

Everyman

1.  Consider the message of the play.  Does it have relevance today?  Why or why not?

2.  Legends (“things read aloud”) were an important instrument of teaching in the middle ages.  Do we still need heroes and heroines today to serve as example for us?  Does the media today seem more interested in the strengths or the weaknesses of heroes and heroines?

3.  What are some modern day ‘morality plays”?