Reflections on some manuscripts containing 13th-century polyphony

1978 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 2-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Hohler
Keyword(s):  
British Library ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Body And Soul

The famous manuscript Harley 978 in the British Library is best known for containingSumer is icumen in. Several of the problems of this fascinating book were disposed of in a masterly article by Schofield; but, with the notable exception of Kingsford, few of those who for one reason or another have used the manuscript have given their readers an adequate picture of the source on which they were drawing. It is a species of miscellany, but compiled on systematic lines. It is written in several hands, but the most obvious explanation for this is that the compiler was in a position to tell others to copy things out for him. The size and ruling of the pages is uniform, apart from the ruling of those on which the Conflict of Body and Soul (Noctis sub silentio, item 75 in the Harleian catalogue, item 78 in Kingsford's table) has been added. Format and type of interests alike suggest that the compilation is the work of a single mind, though the compiler's own handwriting may well be one of the cursives rather than any of the book hands.

The Collection of Grammatical Sophismata in ms London, bl, Burney 330. An Exploratory Study

Vivarium ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 294-321
Author(s):  
C.H. Kneepkens
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
British Library ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Analysis Tools ◽  
Advanced Readers ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Religious Propositions

Manuscript London, British Library, Burney 330 contains an anonymous collection of grammatical sophisms, dating in all probability from early 13th-century France or England, and all based on problematic biblical, liturgical or religious propositions. After a presentation of the manuscript and collection, this article examines two analysis tools that are applied in the majority of the sophisms, viz. a distinction between three layers of grammatico-semantic perfection or completeness, and the grammatical and semantic supposition doctrines. It appears that these sophisms pay prominent attention to improper or figurative supposition, but are not intended for highly advanced readers. These preliminary results suggest that the Burney Sophismata Collection constituted an exercise tool to support textbook-based instruction in theological grammar, which was developed by such masters as Peter the Chanter and William de Montibus in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

Body and Soul: The Destruction of the Self

1990 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 485-485
Author(s):  
Marshall L. Silverstein
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Body And Soul

Kharita: the royal art of letter dispatching

Afghanistan ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-152
Author(s):  
Ula Zeir
Keyword(s):  
British Library

The practice of dispatching kharita had been part of the royal correspondence of Muslim rulers for centuries, particularly in Persia and India. Originating from Arabic, the term kharita refers to a pouch fabricated from leather or silk, or possibly other material. Although the dictionary definition applies to the pouch itself, the act of sending a kharita indicates that a royal letter is placed inside the pouch. Therefore, a kharita is the pouch and its contents. The article examines one particular kharita (Mss Eur F111/361, ff 2–5 at the British Library). The study identifies the elements that comprise the kharita item, and make it a piece of royal art.

Dante Alighieri

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Bartoloni
Keyword(s):  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
The Political ◽  
Giorgio Agamben ◽  
Artistic Process ◽  
Body And Soul ◽  
Forms Of Life ◽  
The Aesthetic

The Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) is invoked several times in the work of Giorgio Agamben, often in passing to stress a point, as when discussing the political relevance of désoeuvrement (KG 246); to develop a thought, as in the articulation of the medieval idea of imagination as the medium between body and soul (S, especially 127–9); or to explain an idea, as in the case of the artistic process understood as the meeting of contradictory forces such as inspiration and critical control (FR, especially 48–50). So while Agamben does not engage with Dante systematically, he refers to him constantly, treating the Florentine poet as an auctoritas whose presence adds critical rigour and credibility. Identifying and relating the instances of these encounters is useful since they highlight central aspects of Agamben’s thought and its development over the years, from the first writings, such as Stanzas, to more recent texts, such as Il fuoco e il racconto and The Use of Bodies. The significance of Agamben’s reliance on Dante can be divided into two categories: the aesthetic and the political. The following discussion will address each of these categories separately, but will also emphasise the philosophical continuity that links the discussion of the aesthetic with that of the political. While in the first instance Dante is offered as an example of poetic innovation, especially in relation to the use of language and imagination, in the second he is invoked as a forerunner of new forms of life. Mediality and potentiality are the two pivots connecting the aesthetic and the political.

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