M-50: Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts
20-24 October 2008
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: The pre-course readings were incredibly useful. I read all of them, and as such, felt both well-prepared for the class and even more enthused about the subject matter. 2: Harper [The Forms and Orders of Western Liturgy from the Tenth to the Eighteenth Century] was very useful as a reference work. Duffy [The Stripping of the Altars] and de Hamel [Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts] were wonderful for background. RW’s works were useful before and during the week. Swanson [Religion and Devotion in Europe] was very dense and comprehensive – some recommendations on which parts would be most useful for the course would have been welcome. 3: The pre-course readings were very, very useful. Duffy’s Stripping of the Altars was particularly enjoyable, as was RW’s Painted Prayers. Swanson was dense and informative. The readings provided a crucial foundation, and were well-chosen. 4: Extremely useful – all readings provided the background to jump right into this course. 5: Quite useful, although I had a hard time acquiring some texts. 6: The reading list was very helpful, both in preparation for the class, and as the nucleus of a personal reference library on the subject. 7: Very useful, especially John Harper’s book, Clemens book [Introduction of Manuscript Studies], and RW’s books. Swanson was really dry and difficult to get through, but Duffy was great – de Hamel is always great, too. 8: The readings were good. 9: Very useful; could have also included a book or glossary on manuscript terminology such as Barbara Shailor’s The Medieval Book, or Michelle Brown’s Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts. 11: The readings were very useful. I think a Saint’s Lives would round them out well. 12: Very useful, if a bit overkill; should have targeted specific chapters rather than whole books.
2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: All the materials were useful; especially RW’s booklet. I know I will refer to it constantly when I return to work. 2: Yes. There were also very helpful recommendations for reference resources that I will seek out later. 3: The course materials were very useful, and will continue to be useful any time I return to this subject. 4: All of the materials relating to the class were valuable resources. However, the Vade Mecum was out of date, e.g., some of the restaurants no longer exist. 5: Yes, quite useful. I liked that a relevant bibliography was also included when appropriate. 6: The handbook was useful during our in-class exercise. 7: Yes! 8: Useful in class, and will be helpful later. 9: Yes, very useful. 10-11: Yes. 12: Very much.
3) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: The most interesting to me were the Books of Hours, as I have several in my collections at work, and thoroughly enjoyed reading RW’s books on the subject. I also found the lessons on liturgical books especially useful as it directly relates to my work. The intellectual level was very appropriate – challenging, but still enjoyable. 2: The second half of the week, as we dealt with Breviaries, Antiphonaries, Psalters, and Books of Hours, was the most useful and interesting part for me. The intellectual level of the course was good, though I wish it had been possible to take basic reading in Latin more for granted. 3: All of it was of interest to me, though localizing Missals and Books of Hours was especially interesting. 4: I greatly enjoyed working with the calendars and cataloging the Book of Hours. This hands-on work cemented the theories. As for the intellectual level, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge needed, such as having a working knowledge of Latin. But RW is such a fantastic teacher that I was very comfortable by the second day with all of the material, and found the Latin coming easily. 5: It was an introductory class, but it was necessary to have done some of the reading ahead, which I liked. 6: Since my work tends to be focused on the physical aspects of the book, I was looking forward to an introduction to the curatorial perspective on working with MSS. That aspect was beautifully met by the content of the course. 7: The level was perfect. The content was excellent, and I found the sections on liturgical time and calendars to be illuminating and very helpful. 8: Wish I remembered more Latin; perhaps a little exercise before we come would help. 9: Books of Hours. The intellectual level was perfect – challenging, but not overwhelming. 10: The in-class exercise of cataloging a real Book of Hours. 11: Every aspect of the course was relevant to utilizing my collection here, and relevant to my professional development. 12: The intellectual level of the course was very high. I don’t personally work with illustrated MSS in my current job, but I hope to as some point, so I feel very well armed with background and resources for further research on my own.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: I most enjoyed RW’s lectures as he is so well-versed on the subject matter, and finds such interesting details to point out to make learning such a delight. I also enjoyed the contributions of classmates to the discussions – each person’s knowledge and interests provided fascinating perspectives. 2: The assignments in which we worked directly with the facsimiles of the Sacramentaries and MSS of calendar pages and Books of Hours. Seeing so many Morgan MSS was also wonderful. 3: The opportunity to see a wide variety of manuscript types, and a wide-ranging selection of illumination styles from various places and periods. The balance of slide-show and MSS was very good. 4: Working with the Morgan Library’s materials – Missals, Books of Hours, &c. – rather than only experiencing them through slides. 5: The setting and the instructor. The collection at the Morgan was amazing, and teaching with the objects was so much better than slides. And that our instructor was so knowledgeable and passionate about the field was a real bonus. 6: Seeing so many books from the Morgan’s collection in person. 7: RW – a fabulous teacher, knowledgeable and with a wonderful sense of humor; and seeing all the MSS in person. Wow! 8: Seeing the large number of original MSS – the strength of this class being at the Morgan. 9: RW’s expertise and sense of humor. 10: The slide shows, OPAC training session, show and tell with real MSS. 11: I liked the fact that the course was broken up into different kinds of lessons – slides, hands-on work, and manuscript viewing. 12: RW’s enthusiasm and expertise.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: The access situation at the Morgan was frustrating, e.g., only being able to use the restrooms at certain times, not being able to enter through the front doors, &c. I loved every moment of the class and thought RW was fantastic. However, sometimes it was difficult to view the MSS – I wish there was a more effective was to see them! 2: I know now that the class isn’t really meant to convey lots of detailed information about different eras and geographic variations in illumination style, but I would have loved to get a little more of that. Everyone took notes furiously every time RW said something like, “That’s pretty typical of the c15.” I also would have personally wanted the course to weigh a bit more heavily on later MSS. 3: More time? I can’t think of a way to improve it. 4: Having a section specifically on dating the material. 5: I’m not sure that it can be, as it was really great to begin with. 7: One suggestion I have is to go through style descriptions one-by-one with examples of MSS, rather than going through all of the styles covered and then moving on to all of the MS examples. I think I would retain the information more easily. I loved seeing all of the MSS in person – like a living exhibit. 9: Better logistics with bathroom access. 10: More in-class exercises: identifying style, period, cataloging of Books of Hours, &c. 11: N/A. 12: Re: logistics and security: please issue individual bathroom passes, and make sure that they’re coded to get through all necessary doors, elevators, &c. If, as RW indicated, these cost something to produce, that cost could be factored into tuition. It would be a small price for the convenience.
7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS teaching collections and of materials owned by the Morgan. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?
1: RW made sure we used utmost care when handling the materials and served as a great role model. 3: The materials were always handled with great respect. 4: Proper handling was strictly monitored. It would have been nice, though, to have a better viewing arrangement, such as circulating the people rather than crowding around the table. 5: N/A. 7: Most everyone handled everything carefully. Well done! 8: RW explained the handling of the material, so all material was handled appropriately. 9: Handling was appropriate and well-monitored. 10: Everything was handled with proper care. 11: N/A
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8) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year?
1: I certainly did get my money’s worth. I loved everything about the class: RW, my classmates, the lectures, and the materials. I certainly hope to take another course next year! 2: I’m very happy about the week, and am looking forward to applying what I’ve learned back at my home library. Future students should know that the course is very focused on text and calendar – which I appreciated, but is a rather particular way of looking at illumination. The exclusive focus on liturgical MSS is great! Thank you! 3: This was an amazing class. I was very glad to know Latin, but it wasn’t necessary. Make sure your Missal has Latin and English throughout, and is a daily Missal, not a Sunday one; and consider bringing RW’s Painted Prayers or Time Sanctified with you, because you’ll probably want to go back to it after class at least once. 4: RW is one of the best teachers I’ve met; do not hesitate when considering this course. I would recommend reading and re-reading the course material. Having some knowledge of Latin would be helpful, though by the end of the class, you will be amazed how much Latin you will comprehend. This course was wonderful! Highly recommended! 5: RW is really a great instructor, and RBS is quite fortunate to have him willing and able to teach this class. He combined the perfect amount of lecture time with examination of materials, and the class exercises were a valuable learning experience. I can only hope that all my future instructors are as passionate and clear as RW was throughout. 6: I particularly enjoyed the practical exercise of “cataloging” a manuscript. 7: Oh yes. What a wonderful course. I only wish it was longer. 8: Yes. RW was wonderful; he put a tremendous amount of energy and preparation into each class. I think five straight days is very demanding, with only one guest speaker for a half-hour. A little more support by another guest speaker – so he gets a break. 9: Yes, very much. Brush-up on your Latin script beforehand if possible. 10: Yes. I’m looking forward to an advanced illuminated MSS course. I would recommend evening activities and events since NYC is a culturally rich city. 11: Abso-bloodly-lutely. I think the course is enjoyable from a personal standpoint, but I particularly recommend it for professionals with medieval manuscript collections in their care. 12: This class was a fantastic opportunity to study texts that simply would not have been otherwise available to us, and RW’s impressive command of the works went far in helping us understand them. Because they represent a view of the world and a way of life that no longer exists – at least in such totality – it might be good to make RW’s course handbook available before class starts so potential students could look at it. Any additional resources (print or digital) to get students used to medieval scripts, to practice with abbreviations, and familiarize themselves with scripture and Catholic iconography would be great too. This latter item would greatly aid those who weren’t raised Catholic, or who were but have gotten rusty.
Number of respondents: 12
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
100% 58% 33% 42%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 17% 0% 25%
N/A: self- N/A: Self- N/A: stayed N/A: lived
employed, re- employed, with friends nearby
tired, or had retired, or or lived at
summers off scholarship home
0% 25% 67% 33%
There were 4 archivist/manuscript librarians (33%); 3 rare book librarians (25%); 3 conservators (25%); and 2 general librarians with some rare book duties.