Trans-Historical Illumination Project

This assignment involves making connections across history between the practices of early manuscripts and the contemporary world.

You will make a creative project and a related essay. The creative project can take the form either of an illuminated letter or a page of a Book of Hours. Your mission is not simply to imitate the medieval practices we have studied but to create a contemporary adaptation that brings the medieval practice into conversation with something about our twenty-first century world.

When you submit your project, you will complete this submission form, which helps ensure that you have understood and met the expectations of the assignment.

The Creative Component

You will make either a single illuminated letter or a single page that you can imagine to be part of a larger Book of Hours. Your created object should show substantial attention to detail and the use of at least two modes of handwork, such as drawing, painting, collage, and so forth.

The content of the image should come from our class’s engagement with the historical versions of these forms, in conversation with the contemporary world. When you choose the trans-historical connection you want to analyze, think of the characteristics that make for a good thesis of any kind: an unexpected insight that adds something new to most people's understanding of the technologies involved.

As with the campus observation project, you can define the audience of your book. Perhaps the audience is simply our class. You might think of other people you would like to introduce to your vision of Grinnell, however, such as friends or family members who are thinking of you in your first semester here. The audience of the essay section of your project is our class, so you can assume people are familiar with the readings and activities we have done together.

Your Essay: Standard Version

You will write three sections, as described below. Each section should contain 150-300 words, for a total of at least 700. As we have discussed in class, you will use Chicago NB style citation (PDF) to document your sources. This version of the paper will use and cite at least two sources, and you are welcome to use our class readings among those sources.

Section 1: Overview of Your Creative Piece and Its Audience

Introduce the reader to the basics of your book. What kind of book is it? How do you think of its intended audience? What content does it include?

Section 2: Form and Content

Explain why you have chosen the form of your work in relation to its content. How do the affordances of this form allow you to do something with the content that would not be possible in the same way with other forms?

Section 3: Concluding Thoughts

Bring your thinking about the project together. How do form, content, and audience relate to one another in the book object you are sharing with us?

Your Essay: Extra Version

You will write four sections, as described below. Each section should contain 150-300 words, for a total of at least 900. As we have discussed in class, you will use Chicago NB style citation (PDF) to document your sources. This version of the paper will use and cite at least five sources, and you are welcome to use our class readings among those sources.

Section 1: Overview of Your Creative Piece and Its Audience

[same as Standard Version]

Section 2: Form and Content

[same as Standard Version]

Section 3: Response to Historical or Artistic Inspirations

Explain at least two specific influences that have informed your project. These influences may include those you have seen or read about in class.

Section 4: Concluding Thoughts

[same as Standard Version]