Here are several samples of previous honors projects in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
“In principio erat sermo: A Linguistic Imitatio Christi in the Johannine Prologue of D. Erasmus Roterodamus” by Timothy Paul Kowalczyk, directed by Dr. Tom Robisheaux
Examining the Renaissance humanist Erasmus of Roterdam’s works of rhetoric—Lingua, Antibarbari, and De libero arbitrio—this project challenges the usual perception of Erasmus as a minor philosopher lacking systematic rigor. It is argued that Erasmus’s theory of speech is not a rough mosaic of disparate approaches to certain problems, but rather a cohesive organization of the whole of human speech acts. Educated in the practices of the devotio moderna, Erasmus sees all speech as united in its purpose to achieve a greater personal and communal likeness to Christ.
“The Stymphalian Project” by Elijah Weinreb, directed by Dr. Tom Robisheaux
Is there any chance that Leonardo Da Vinci’s concept of a flying machine could be realized in a model drone with an 87 inch wing span mimicking a large bird of prey? This project, by a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Medieval and Renaissance Studies, attempted to create an ornithopter that might glide and flap to keep it aloft. In the process, the limitations of studying flight from the observation of nature gave way to appreciating on a deeper level the importance of modern physics.
“Time-Traveling Magic?” by Stephanie Crowell, directed by Dr. Clare Woods
Magic in literature has persisted from medieval romance into modern fantasy. Studying the figure of Merlin, this project seeks to explore the resiliency of magic, how it disappears and returns in new forms, demonstrating the continual felt need to be enchanted and for such a force to be used with knowledge and wisdom. Yet magic’s ancient association with the demonic threatens for it to be driven away, despite Merlin’s and other magicians’ good works.
“Dialogue and Disputation in Medieval Anti-Jewish Polemic: Converts to Christianity and the Assault on Rabbinic Traditions” by Rebecca Reibman, directed by Dr. Tom Robisheaux
This thesis explores the connection between Jewish converts to Christianity and anti-Judaism, seeking answers to why and how three Jewish converts well educated in the Jewish community subsequently produced some of the most virulent anti-Jewish argumentation that was deeply intertwined with influences of their former lives. It is argued that the very nature of their conversion identity contributed to the refashioning of Judaism and the lives of Jews in the later Middle Ages as targets for Christian polemic and violence.
“Depictions of Odysseus’ Death in Literature: A Study in Myth Reception” by Elizabeth Maria Djinis (dual honors thesis), directed by Dr. Martin Eisner
This thesis analyzes depictions of Odysseus’ death in literature from Homer to Dante to Tennyson and to Primo Levi, especially in terms of the connection between the quest for knowledge and religion. It is argued that Dante’s Ulysses, though implicated in the Inferno, later becomes a heroic ideal for the quest for knowledge at all costs. While this quest in earlier Greek texts is seen as intrinsically going against a god, Ulysses’ pursuit of knowledge becomes more heroic in society as knowledge becomes less associated with religion.
“Anxieties of Power: Pierfrancesco Riccio and the Politics of Art” by DeDe Mann (dual honors thesis), directed by Dr. John Martin
Based on research conducted at the Archivio di Stato in Florence, this thesis explores the ducal secretary Pierfrancesco Riccio’s all-encompassing influence in Cosimo I de’ Medici’s court in terms of Riccio’s effect on both the visible and visual expressions of courtly power. At a time of enormous anxiety in Florence, which was transitioning from a republic to a duchy—a city under the sole control of its duke—Riccio controlled the image of his prince by handling much of the correspondence and artistic commissions so as to project a desirable princely image and help to shape, define, and enforce the message that the artistic commissions were designed to communicate.
“Monticello: The Embodiment of Thomas Jefferson’s Intellect, Status, and Persona,” by Charlotte Bassett (dual honors thesis), directed by Dr. Sara Galletti
Monticello is the architectural embodiment of Thomas Jefferson’s creative and intellectual architectural prowess. As his personal residence and passion, Monticello was redesigned and renovated by Jefferson almost continuously over the forty year period between 1770 and 1809. His Classicized style was inspired by Italian Renaissance Palladianism and English Palladianism, which he learned from architectural treatises and his European travels during his ministry to France. The thesis studies Jefferson’s personas as an intellectual architect and as a Virginia planter through his designs for Monticello.
“To Our Lady We Sing: The Balance of Spirit and Humanity in the N-Town Mary Play” by Mandy Lowell (dual honors thesis), directed by Dr. Sarah Beckwith
The N-Town Plays, a collection of forty-eight short pageants, deals with biblical and otherwise Christian subject matter. This thesis focuses on the “Mary Play,” which presents an expression of piety toward a beloved and revered religious figure; it is both joyful and contemplative, expressed in a lovingly crafted imitation of Mary’s life. Scholars and theater directors, however, have not noticed the possibilities of entertainment in this rarely performed play. The thesis argues that in addition to inspiring liturgical devotion, the play made Marian devotion more accessible and enjoyable for the laity. To prove this point in theatrical terms, Mandy directed a staged reading of her own modern English translation of the play with student actors.
“Sir Gawain the Courteous? Burlesque in Middle English Arthurian Legends” by Chris Kizer, directed by Dr. Ann Marie Rasmussen and Dr. Fiona Sommerset
Medieval Arthurian romances were sometimes comical! This thesis explores burlesque versions of the Gawain tradition, such as Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle and The Jeaste of Sir Gawain, measuring them against the great Middle English Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These burlesque texts poke fun at an established and popular literary genre rather than parodying individual Arthurian legends. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is by no means the first English burlesque of the Arthurian legend.
“The Genres of Troilus and Criseyde: Chaucer, Henryson, Shakespeare” by Annie Kozak, directed by Dr. Maureen Quilligan
The story of Troilus and Cressida has been told and retold from ancient times, changing as it passes through the hands of individual interpreters. One of the most significant changes comes in the transformation from Chaucer to Shakespeare, and is deeply indebted to the intermediary, Robert Henryson. Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde pardons Criseyde for her famous infidelity, which ultimately prevents the reader from being able to make easy conclusions about the poem. Henryson in his Testament of Cresseid gives Cresseid the disease of leprosy as a punishment, so that what begins as a romance gets transformed into a moralized tragedy. In Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, a combination of subtle and overt allusions to syphilis throughout the narrative, targeting all the characters, renders the play utterly and thoroughly diseased.