Simek, "The Three Continents and Medieval Maps of the World"

1. How, according to Simek, did the intentions of cartographers at the turn of the 13th century differ from those of cartographers today?

2. How does Simek describe the relationship of the three continents? What hierarchies are at work that are meant to influence the perception of the monastic viewer?

3. Where are the monstrous races located? How does their position relate to the center of the world? How does it relate to the position of the cartographers?

Think about the significance of Asia and the East, as Simek describes them. How do we see things differently today?

Bovey, pp. 1-15

On Tuesday we discussed Bernard's and Augustine's perspectives on the monstrous. How do Bovey's definitions of monsters (from Mandeville and the OED) relate to what we discussed on Tuesday?

Think about the place of monsters in Augustine's image of creation. How does Bovey's description of Augustine (pp. 10-12) enhance the categories that Prof. Despres had us develop on Tuesday?

Develop a typology of the monstrous, based on Bovey's descriptions! How many different categories of the monstrous can you identify?

On Tuesday we talked about a hermeneutic that reads the world of God's creation in terms of signs, portents, omens, etc.! What signs do you find contained in the illumination of the gates of hell on p. 4?

The Psalter Map

Use Bovey, pp. 14-15, and what you have learned about mappae mundi from Simek to analyse the depiction of the monstrous in time and space.