This assignment will help me gauge your ability to use some of what you learn in class to solve a creative problem: "illuminating" a manuscript chosen from classic works of Western literature. It will also enhance your writing and interpretive skills, and provide you with experience in conducting research into a particular historical period. Although this project asks you to engage your developing design skills in order to execute it, the focus is on your ability to translate your knowledge of art and design history into a physical form, and to enrich your understanding of the visual arts.

Keep in mind, if you choose to pursue this project, that you must submit it in its entirety in order for me to evaluate it. If any component (illumination, essay, or bibliography) is missing, I cannot accept the submission, and you will earn no points for your effort. The project must be turned in on time; no late work will be accepted.

General Requirements

Please read these guidelines carefully; failure to comply with all of the requirements listed below will result in significant lowering of the project's grade. Text options will be distributed in class week 6.

The following objectives are the focus of this assignment:

All completed projects must be accompanied by the following (percentages = points, out of 100 total points for the class):

pocket folder (in which the 8.5" x 11" image and support materials are contained); do not mount your solution. Do not encase written materials in plastic (although you may insert your actual manuscript into a page protector).

evidence of research consisting of a properly formatted, annotated bibliography of appropriate sources from a variety of media (such as books, websites, journal articles, films or videos, websites). Consult the Research Resources page on the course website for specific instructions and advice on how to complete this aspect of the assignment. (10%)

concept statement: a short essay (2 to 3 pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced; see my Style Guide for detailed information) in which you account for your design. Why did you choose this particular text, how did you approach the assignment, how did you make your design decisions, etc., and what do you think about what you accomplished? Answering these questions should help you to develop the essay, in which you must be able to articulate the process of conceptual development and execution. I will not accept handwritten copy for any part of this assignment. (5%)

the illuminated manuscript (your image, 8.5 by 11 inches, unmounted). The text you illuminate must fit on a single letter-sized page, one side only. (5%)

Final project: Create an illuminated page using a designated text

Choose a text from the list below (a packet containing the readings will be distributed in class week 6) and, following the conventions of illuminated manuscripts, create a page with initials and illuminations appropriate to the text and inspired by the period in which it was created. Each text reflects a period we have (or will have) studied in class: Neolithic/Bronze Age Mesopotamia, Archaic Greece (although the text itself probably originated in the Bronze Age), Anglo-Saxon Europe, late Gothic/early Renaissance Italy, and late Renaissance England--all in modern English translations where appropriate (I have not updated Shakespeare's poem).

Remember to demonstrate your understanding of the illumination process by including at least four of the conventions we have discussed in class: historiated and/or decorated initials, borders, drolleries, space-fillers, miniatures, rubrication, and other embellishments.

The images may be computer-generated or hand drawn, but demonstrate appropriate understanding of the methods and history of manuscript illumination in the Middle Ages. The passages I have chosen are essentially timeless and have appealed to artists for hundreds of years. You must use the translations provided; I will not accept another. Furthermore, the available texts are all poems, and require you to be faithful to the poetic line. This means that you may not monkey with the words in order to make them fit your own requirements. Do not make the mistake of trying to make the problem conform to your predetermined solution. You must be able to account for design decisions rationally in your concept statement, and explain the historical grounds for your choices.

Text options:

Gilgamesh, Tablet 1, Column 1 (ca. 2500-1000 BCE in various versions). Translated by John Gardner.

Homer, Odyssey, Book 9, "The Lotos Eaters" (8th century BCE). Translated by Robert Fagles.

Beowulf (8th century CE). Segment translated by Frances Gummere.

Dante, Inferno, Canto V (on Minos, judge of the dead and souls damned to hell for lust--21-24 lines; the text is from ca. 1308). Translated by Allan Mandelbaum.

Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act IV, Scene I, lines 59-75 ("Invocation to Ceres"; ca. 1610-11)

You may not use any translation of any text other than the ones provided. Nor may you use the original language text unless you are fluent in ancient Sumerian, Homeric Greek, or Medieval Italian.

Your focus for this project should be as much on research as on design. Pick a passage that appeals for you (be sure you can tell me why you choose it, however), and then conduct research into the deeper meanings of the texts, especially each poem's symbolic language. Learn a bit about the poet himself, if possible (although little is really known about Homer, and the authors of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are unknown). Then look through sources on manuscript illumination for design and type ideas. Although the illuminated manuscript was a product of the pre-mechanical necessities of book production, William Morris, in the nineteenth century, drew on many medieval conventions for use with a printing press, so the range of possibilities is wide. Just remember to base at least some aspect of the design on motifs, images, etc. drawn from the period in which your chosen text was written. A warning: unless your calligraphic skills are superb, do not attempt to letter your text by hand. A large number of appropriate fonts are available.

Some advice on how to approach this assignment: Think about the text itself; what is it saying? Know something about the larger work in which it appears; what is The Tempest about? Why does Dante use a poet from ancient Roman literature in a Christian epic? Where does the Lotus Eaters passage appear in The Odyssey? Where and when does the story of Beowulf take place? Who was this Gilgamesh guy, anyway?

You will need to account for your choice of text as well as your concept development and creative process in the short essay that accompanies your project. Ideas inspired by your research must be appropriately attributed in MLA in-line citation style. If the idea did not spring fully formed from your own mind, acknowledge the source of the original idea--even if you have developed it well beyond its original concept or form.

A note about research: Faithfully follow the guidelines included on the Research & Information Literacy page. For a deeper understanding of period, author, and text, begin with the excellent websites included among the final project resources. Your bibliography will need to account for how you use every source listed, so take careful notes as you use and evaluate different media: books, articles, DVDs, web, etc.

In order to insure that you are on the right track, I would like to schedule appointments with students who plan to proceed with the project. We can meet after class or during my office hours; the purpose of these meetings is to help me gauge your preparedness and to make sure what's required of you. The consultation is optional, but it could avoid catastrophic mistakes.

The project is due at the beginning of class week 10. I will accept no late work for this assignment.

last update: 02.14.12