Matching Items (4)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Medieval History
- Creators: Cruse, Markus
Description
Graffiti at the Arena Chapel and Issogne Castle engage in conversation with the frescoes and the functions of the spaces. These marks produce discussions of cultural issues. The graffiti found in the chapel and castle can be considered ritual and performative acts, visually documenting conversations among diverse audiences in the late medieval and early modern periods. Scholars of the Arena Chapel frescoes have studied the intricate painted iconography. Adding graffiti to the analysis of the chapel allows for a different interpretation of one of the most famous fresco programs. Abundant marks appear on figures in the scene of Hell in the Last Judgment, and are analyzed in terms of the medieval concepts of optics and sight, as well as in respect to class. At Issogne Castle, visitors inscribed graffiti on figures and scenes to represent their responses to key social issues. These included questions of class and occupation, along with political and religious concerns. Contextualizing graffiti in this way enables contemporary scholars to uncover a more complex and subtle understanding of the conversations on the wall in the late medieval and early modern periods through case studies of two monuments of art history.
ContributorsLuksenburg, Stephanie (Author) / Schleif, Corine L. (Thesis advisor) / Sweeney, J. Gray (Thesis advisor) / Cruse, Markus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Vivid illuminations of the aristocratic hunt decorate Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS. fr. 616, an early fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript of Le livre de chasse composed by Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix and Viscount of Béarn (1331-1391 C.E.), in 1389. Gilded miniatures visualize the medieval park, an artificial landscape designed to facilitate the ideal noble chase, depicting the various methods to pursue, capture, and kill the prey within as well as the ritual dismemberment of animals. Medieval nobles participated in the social performance of the hunt to demonstrate their inclusion in the collective identity of the aristocracy. The text and illuminations of Le livre de chasse contributed to the codification of the medieval noble hunt and became integral to the formation of cultural memory which served as the foundation for the establishment of the aristocracy as different from other parts of society in the Middle Ages. This study contributes new information through examination of previously ignored sources as well as new analysis through application of critical theoretical frameworks to interpret the manuscript as a meaning-making object within the visual culture of the Middle Ages and analysis of the illuminations reveals the complexities surrounding one of the most important acts of performance for the medieval elite.
ContributorsPratt-Sturges, Rebekah (Author) / Schleif, Corine (Thesis advisor) / Cruse, Markus (Committee member) / Cuneo, Pia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The field of forensic linguistics has burgeoned in the past several decades within a current-day framework of language use, ranging from dialectal analysis to legal language analysis in court cases, to trademark and authorship disputes, and more. When it comes to utilizing forensic linguistics techniques within a historical framework, however, there is still a great deal of research and work to be done. There is a gap in historical research that needs to be filled, to create a more cohesive whole when examining the past for understanding. Pioneers in historical authorship analysis are now using forensic linguistic methods more frequently in their manuscript analyses and research, and the results of those studies indicate that some linguistic variables can be statistically measured with a relative degree of accuracy for historical documents. What is needed now is a forensic analysis which also comprehensively accounts for the challenges regarding various cultures’ definitions of ‘author’ and ‘authorship’ and translation methods in different time periods. For medieval manuscripts, these analyses must also consider the manuscript culture inherent in that time period. In this dissertation, I discuss the rift apparent in the framework of understanding where forensic linguistic analysis and manuscript analysis are not fully meeting in the middle. I address the need for a general methodology that allows academics in both disciplines to work together in finding variables for forensic testing which include the needs of the manuscript culture behind it, so that future research can more fully enrich the understanding of medieval history as a whole.
During that discussion, I analyze several completed authorship analyses surrounding the tenth century Old English gloss of the Lindisfarne Gospels, examining the methods utilized by each researcher in accomplishing their chosen research goal. Then, I focus on developing a generalized methodology which can provide a framework for handling unique, individual analyses of medieval manuscripts which have questionable authorship attribution. This framework will help to create a more solid foundation for providing more accurate and effective data for historical authorship cases.
ContributorsSchrader, Angela Corinne Loewenhagen (Author) / Van Gelderen, Elly (Thesis advisor) / Bjork, Robert E. (Committee member) / Cruse, Markus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Medieval Arthurian stories typically feature noble knights as their main characters, and follow these knights on various quests as they work to fulfill their destiny. Although women do not get to appear as the central characters in these stories, they are oftentimes afforded magical abilities that provide them with a great deal of power and influence. This thesis investigates the role of magical women, including fairies and sorceresses, in medieval Arthurian literature. I explore the conditions under which medieval authors permitted women characters to have power, magical or otherwise; for each of five different magical women appearing in Arthurian stories written between the 12th and 15th centuries, I discuss their different abilities, motivations, and major actions. Even when these fairies are fairly powerful and autonomous in their choices, their motivations are typically related to the interests of the male man character. Their relationship to the heroes of their respective stories determines their characterization. I argue that there are three major tropes that these characters fulfill: fairy caretakers, fairy lovers, or evil sorceresses.
ContributorsDardis, Cora Shea (Author) / Cruse, Markus (Thesis director) / Barca, Lisa (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05