A comparison of decorative features in the Ælfrician textual tradition

Rae, Emily M. (2021) A comparison of decorative features in the Ælfrician textual tradition. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the enlarged and decorated initials in manuscripts containing texts from Ælfric’s First Series of Catholic Homilies, specifically those that begin new texts. I demonstrate that such aspects of mise-en-page are transferred from manuscript to manuscript with the texts they accompany; furthermore, this transference accompanies known routes of textual dissemination.

This thesis is divided broadly into four sections. Following the first, in which I provide research contextualisation along with a discussion of relevant terminology, I next focus on groups of manuscripts identified as closely related based on their textual content. I here note several points of previously unnoticed exceptional visual similarity between these textually-linked manuscripts, most notably between several texts occurring in MS Cott Faust A. ix and MS CCCC 302.

In the third section, I focus on texts that are particularly frequently copied: Ælfric’s First Series homilies for Pentecost (ÆCHom I, 22), the Lord’s Prayer (ÆCHom I, 19), and All Saints’ Day (ÆCHom I, 36). I compile the appearance of text-beginning initials across all surviving instances of the texts; ÆCHom I, 36 especially shows evidence of letter-form transference
across multiple manuscripts, namely MS CCCC 303; MSS Bod 340/342; MS Cott Vesp D. XIV; and MSS Hatton 113 and 114 and MS Junius 121.

In the final section, I include additional case studies that argue that the above similarities are significant, and not a result of scribal standards or specific house styles. I begin with an investigation into the decoration of other vernacular manuscripts from a similar time and place of origin: CCCC 201, CCCC 322, MS Cott Tib B. I, and MS Cott Vesp D. XXI. I also include manuscripts, and one comparing two homilies in two related volumes.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics
• Supervisor's Name: Lowe, Dr. Kathryn and Robertson, Professor Elizabeth
• Date of Award: 2021
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2021-82290
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 30 Jun 2021 10:37
• Last Modified: 08 Apr 2022 17:06
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.82290
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/82290