Text and image in the Carolingian world

"The Gentle Voices of Teachers": Aspects of Learning in the Carolingian Age

“…75 At least in its initial stages, the royal educational program envisaged schooling for lay aristocrats; 76 perhaps the reprimand that, according to the monk of Saint Gaul, Charlemagne heaped upon young nobles who neglected their studies reflects at least some involvement in education by members of that class. 77 Almost without exception thefirst generation of native Frankish men of learning, exemplified by Einhard and Angilbert, derived from aristocratic families, suggesting approval of pursuit of learning as an activity befitting noble status. 78 Two of the early literary products of the Carolingian re naissance, Alcuin's De virtutibus et vitiis Liber and Paulinus of Aquileia's Liber exhortationis 79 were composed for homines laicos, Count Wido of Brittany and Duke Erich of Friuli.…”

“…The king's duty to protect rather than confiscate ecclesiastical property is a major theme of ninth-century writers; indeed that duty was sometimes linked with the often reiterated call to defend the rights of widows and orphans. 77 Such frequent reiteration suggests abuse, and Charles the Bald followed a long family tradition in assigning ecclesiastical estates to lay followers. Lupus of Ferrieres' many letters over a period of eight years begging for restitution of the cell of Saint Josse are only one of the best known ex amples of this phenomenon.…”

“…When biblical commentators defended their tac tic of borrowing from many different authors, it naturally occurred to them to employ metaphors. Extracts from a variety of authorities in a commentary were likened to the pipes of an organ, which individually emit different sounds, but when played together bring forth a harmonious melody 77 Or, by way of justifying the eclectic nature of their works, they suggested that the ideal beautiful woman is one composed of the different attributes of several pretty women. 78 The most sophisticated practitioners of Carolingian rhetoric knew how to use rhymed prose, parallelism, pan egyric, and other rhetorical skills to good effect.…”

“…76 Always, priority was given to the word of God. 77 But over a long period of time, God's word had been in terpreted, made accessible, and kept inviolate by a series of authoritative teachers. In fact, the Scriptures could only be understood in the light of the "writings of the holy fathers .…”

“…Thomas F. X. Noble's account of the Libri Carolini focuses our atten tion on the innovative aspects of the cultural program of Charlemagne's court; his interpretation of that text must now be set beside Ann Free man's account of how far the Libri Carolini was a failure. 77 His reading of the Libri Carolini only serves to highlight what is implicit in all the other essays: there were dimensions of Carolingian cultural activity that broke new intellectual and aesthetic ground. Such creative efforts were responses 2 7 4 D A V I D G A N Z made by individuals who saw thought and expression as means of resolv ing real problems facing real people.…”