MyHumanitiesStudio Exercises


1			The Medieval Book (pp. 124, 127-128) Art > Texture > Pattern > Spiral http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/1/1/3/3/6.html Some medieval books were painstakingly crafted works of art. Examine the first page of Matthew's Gospel from the Book of Kells (Fig. 5.3). What artistic techniques were used by the person who crafted this page? How does the artistry of the page affect the meaning and the impact of the text? In what ways does the Book of Kells epitomize the medieval synthesis? Compare the page from the Book of Kells to pages from Arabic (Fig. 5.9) and Chinese (Fig. 5.10) books. What qualities do the pages from the different cultures share, and what qualities set each one apart? What do the shared qualities suggest about attitudes toward books and literacy one thousand years ago?




2			Feudal-Age Literature (pp. 135-136) Literature > Character > Relationship http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/5/2/3.html The Song of Roland is one of the most famous literary works of the early medieval period. This chanson de geste tells the story of Roland, a vassal of Charlemagne, who dies valiantly in a Moorish ambush. Analyze the plot of the epic and the excerpt provided in the textbook (p. 135). What sort of hero is Roland? How much does his heroism depend on his relationship with other men, whether they be Charlemagne, his followers, or his Muslim enemies? What do Roland's relationships suggest about relationships among men during the medieval period? What was the basis of such relationships? How did men's relationships with each other compare with their relationships with women, as expressed in literature (p. 136) and art (Fig. 5.20)? Based on The Song of Roland, what were the paramount virtues of the feudal age?

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