5HDGLQJWKH5HYHUVH)DDGHRI5HLPV&DWKHGUDO5R\DOW\

DQG5LWXDOLQ7KLUWHHQWK&HQWXU\)UDQFHE\'RQQD/
6DGOHUUHYLHZ
Kristine Tanton

Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Volume

44, 2013, pp. 328-331 (Article)
3XEOLVKHGE\&HQWHUIRU0HGLHYDODQG5HQDLVVDQFH6WXGLHV
DOI: 10.1353/cjm.2013.0018
8&/$

For additional information about this article

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cjm/summary/v044/44.tanton01.html

Access provided by Cornell University (14 Dec 2015 18:19 GMT)

328

REVIEWS

demonstrates the fundamental linguistic reciprocity of English and French

within the poetry of Charles dOrlans, John Lydgate, and Thomas Hoccleve,
and shows how Englandas a linguistic, national, and political entity
should be more fully understood through the variable articulacy of plurilingual
writers of English (682). In a similar vein, editor Robert Mills analyzes the
role of Thomas Becketts mother in multiple versions of his legend, arguing for
an essential foreignness at the heart of nationalistic English Christianity,
figured through alterity and the need for translation. Zrinka Stahuljak likewise
proposes a new approach to thinking about political agency and cultural loyalty
by applying a contemporary concept and figure within translation studiesthat
of the fixerto medieval crusade narratives. Analyzing figures of translators
and interpreters within fourteenth-century siege narratives, Stahuljak shows
how questions of cultural and political loyalty inevitably arise within the
linguistic contact zones of war and conflict, and thus, in a broader sense, how
contemporary translation theory can offer us a more ethically historicized and
politicized picture of the vagaries of medieval translation itself.
Several explicitly theoretical essays maintain the volumes focus on
contemporary translation theory. Editor Emma Campbell reads Rutebeufs
Miracle de Thophile through Derridas concept of relevant translation:
suggesting that Rutebeufs translation of Thophiles charter as a letter written
by the devil reveals a connection between writing, conversion, and translation,
Campbell argues for the Miracle as a model of translatio based upon an ethics
of the gift that allows readers to access divine translation (119). Miranda
Griffin approaches the Ovid moralis through a Derridean lens: her reading of
the translatedand transformedMetamorphoses posits sacred metaphors for
the work of translation, and argues for the Moralis as a Christian appropriation
of the pagan literary past. Likewise, Jane Gilbert places Benjamins nowcanonical Task of the Translator into dialogue with fifteenth-century
drimeurs, arguing for generic translation as an interpretive intervention that
performs the Benjaminian task of situating the particular historical moment in
the (ultimately untranslatable) transcendent sweep of time. Gilberts essay
like the other essays briefly described herereveals how the study of medieval
forms of translation offers new perspectives on modern theories of translation,
and vice versa. Rethinking Medieval Translations greatest strength is this selfconsciously rigorous intervention within medieval studies and contemporary
translation theory simultaneously; the collection will richly reward readers
from many fields and challenge scholars to continue the new conversations
begun here.
BARBARA ZIMBALIST, English, UC Davis
Donna L. Sadler, Reading the Reverse Faade of Reims Cathedral. Royalty
and Ritual in Thirteenth-Century France (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing
Company 2012) 250 pp., ill.
In Reading the Reverse Faade of Reims Cathedral, Donna L. Sadler provides
a detailed study of what has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful
works from the second half of the thirteenth century. Yet it has received little
scholarly attention. Sadler assesses the reverse faade both in relation to the
sculptural program of the cathedral and other visual programs associated with

REVIEWS

329

the royal court of Louis IX. Through an analysis of the sculpture in relation to
the cathedrals role as a coronation church, Sadler draws parallels between the
form and content of the verso sculpture and the bishoprics political role as
king-maker. One of the main points of the book is that the subject matter
depicted sculpturally at the reverse faade promoted interdependence between
ecclesiastical and royal arms of power (12). Sadler notes that the decoration of
a Gothic cathedral such as Reims was by no means a monolithic program, but a
collection of multiple meanings for many audiences. She identifies the reverse
faade program as a primer in moral behavior that had value for a wide
spectrum of audiences ranging from kings to tavern owners.
The book begins by addressing the history of the cathedral, its architectural
antecedents, and the sculptures iconography. Significantly, Sadler explores
how the storied past of Reims continued to inspire the sculptural program of the
cathedral. Noting that the cathedrals iconographic program is encyclopedic in
scope, Sadler determines that there is an emphasis on the theme of coronation
in the celestial and terrestrial realms. Christ is the main subject of Reims
Cathedral, and as the site of the kings coronation, the cathedrals sculpture
highlighted the kings co-regency with Christ. Sadler argues that through the
iconography of the cathedral the archbishops of Reims forged an alliance
between throne and altar, and fostered the notion that the ecclesiastical
blessing at Reims was simply required for royal power (20). By juxtaposing
images of Christs life, death, and resurrection, images of Old Testament kings
and biblical heroes, and images of the baptism of Clovis and a gallery of kings,
the sculptural program emphasized the mission of the French ruler to establish
the Christian kingdom on earth as a necessary prelude to the Second Coming.
Sadler goes on to explore the iconography of the sumptuously carved
reverse faade as a complement to the overall program of the cathedral in the
books second chapter. She notes that although the verso supplements the story
told on the west faade, it also stands on its own. The story of the Virgin and
John the Baptist is depicted with particular emphasis on the moments when
their lives intersect with the life of Christ. Sadler argues that the sculpted
figures of John the Baptist and Melchisedek, which are depicted performing
priestly duties, underlined the significance of the archbishops of Reims in the
role of king-making. She identifies the sculpture as functioning as a
sophisticated piece of ecclesiastical pedagogy directed to the neophyte king
(69). The overall iconographic program of the cathedral underscored the
presence of Christ in the generation of spiritual and temporal power, and the
sculpture on the reverse faade provided the king lessons in kingship.
One of the most compelling arguments that Sadler makes is in the next
chapter, in which she argues that the reverse faade of Reims should be
considered through the lens of the Mirror of Princes and the game of chess,
both of which were used to instruct kings in the ways of royal behavior. She
notes that Hincmar of Reims considered sculpted Old Testament kings and
their prophets as exempla for the newly anointed king. Building upon her
earlier observation that the archbishops of Reims actively promoted their
importance in the coronation ceremony, she considers the crucial role that
Hincmar played in aligning French monarchs with David, Solomon, and
Clovis. In his consecration ordines at Reims for Carolingian rulers, Hincmar

330

REVIEWS

placed the power of ordination in the hands of bishops. Proclaiming that

anointing a king was the eighth sacrament, Hincmar also wrote extensively
about king-making as a political activity.
After considering the reverse faade as means to instruct kings, Sadler
considers the formal aspects of the verso program in relation to a similar
framework found in contemporary monuments, noting that this results in a
conflation of form and content. She suggests that the placement of certain
narratives, such as the repetition of left-hand placement of female figures to
their respective male partners, provides a mnemonic of good and bad royal
behaviors. Sadler observes that the programmers use of niches to confine key
figures and scenes allowed for diverse types of narratives and served as
memory aids, much like rooms in a house of memory. She goes on to note that
in addition to containing diverse narratives, the vertical and horizontal gridlock
arrangement of the niches recalls a chessboard.
Sadler next contextualizes the reverse faade with artistic production within
the royal court of Louis IX and Paris. She relates the iconographic programs of
Sainte-Chapelle, the Saint Louis Psalter, and the Saint-Denis tomb relocation
project to the aims of the reverse faade of Reims cathedral. The stained glass
program at Sainte-Chapelle repeatedly links the Capetian ruler to the sacred
line of kings, much like the sculptural program of the reverse faade of Reims
emphasized the divine origins of the kings power. Bibles moralises, which
were commissioned by or for the Capetian king, related to royal patronage and
concerns. Similar to the niches used to contain the narratives of the reverse
faade, the composition of the Bible moralise provided a structure in which
the viewer could contemplate the nature of salvation history in the past, present
and future. Sadler examines these monuments in terms of authorship, authority,
and audience. It should be noted that the monuments and works on which
Sadler focuses are a select and exceptional group that benefitted a large
audience (i.e., the archbishops of Reims and the Parisian royal court) whereas
Louis IXs other commissions, such as the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont,
do not adhere to the same narrative strategies or opulent decoration.
In her conclusion, Sadler explores the deployment of large-scale sculpture
within the interior of cathedrals. She relates the reverse faade at Reims to the
choir screens of Bourges, Chartres, Amiens, and Naumburg, noting that recent
scholarship has explored the new role of interior sculpture as a bearer of
meaning to viewers (with the sculpted figures serving either as actors in the real
space of the church or as co-celebrants with the lay audience).
Sadlers detailed and nuanced study of the verso sculpture at Reims
Cathedral represents a valuable contribution to the wealth of literature on
Reims and its sculpture. The author not only sheds light on a work that has not
received much in the way of scholarly attention, but expands our understanding
of the sculpture throughout the building in relation to ecclesiastical and royal
power. Sadler is able to provide a rich reading of the verso sculpture by
exploring it within the context of other interior sculptural programs. For those
less familiar with the reverse faade and its wider setting, the provided
illustrations do not, unfortunately, include a diagram map of the versos
iconographical themes to show how the placement of these themes within the
vertical and horizontal gridwork of their niches allows for constructions of

REVIEWS

331

meaning. This book has tremendous value for not only students of medieval
sculpture but also for those interested in the history of Reims Cathedral.
KRISTINE TANTON, Art History, University of Southern California
David A. Salomon, An Introduction to the Glossa Ordinaria as Medieval
Hypertext (Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2012) xii + 128 pp.
David A. Salomons short monograph is four parts survey to one part
manifesto. His primary goalone excellently achievedis to craft a new
theory of medieval reading that depends on the idea of the hyperlink to
understand the processes of textual engagement. He bases his claims on the
complex rubrication of the Glossa Ordinaria as well as the long, somewhat
messy, history of medieval theories of reading from Augustine, through Hugh
of St. Victor, to Mary Carruthers and beyond, to digital theorists like Ted
Nelson. Is this a book on digital humanities? Yes and no. It does not demand an
online, hyperlinked Glossa Ordinaria (although I suspect Salomon would
approve of such an intimidatingly large project). It does not include a related
web resource, and it does not document digitization processes. But it does
inquire into modern theories of hyperlinked reading, asking how the idea of the
hypertext might help us think through medieval texts and the reader-responses
they crafthow, in other words, digital theory can illuminate the book and
reading cultures of the medieval and early modern eras.
Hyperlink, as Solomon articulates it, is an abstract and cognitive concept
Associative thinking, the basic building block of hypertext, is a
characteristic of the mind, not of the page or the screen (95). I might quibble
at the term hyperlink, preferring instead that we expand our definition of
allusionbut that is rather beside the point, as Salomons definition pushes
past the modern conceptions of hypertext as exclusive to electronic media and
based in a physical, computerized text composed of a network. Instead,
Solomon extends hypertext to the level of cognitive theory: it empowers the
reader with freedom of choice, the freedom to explore the text at hand and
depends on the ability of the medieval reader to utilize the many tools he
possesses, not least of which is memory (94). Salomon is advocating for a new
model of understanding medieval reading and medieval thought processes.
Doing so, however, requires very few pages on hyperlink theory itself: of the
99 pages of text (excluding the index and bibliography), only the last seven are
explicitly devoted to the relevance of digital theories for understanding the
cognitive processes of reading in Middle Ages. A weakness? Not quite:
Salomon is clear on his goals: to provide the reader with a primer on the
Glossa Ordinaria, including its history, and then to discuss its relationship to
modern hypertext theory (4).
To call the first ninety-two pages of Salomons text a primer, however, is
rather disingenuous: it is much more than that. The first chapter, The Glossing
Tradition and the Glossa Ordinaria, provides an excellent introduction to the
practices of interactive reading and textual annotation, and would be useful on
its own for graduate-level courses on medieval manuscripts, the history of the
book, or medieval theories of reading. Chapter 2, History, the Text, and the
History of the Text surveys the Glossa Ordinarias history through the Middle
Ages and into the early modern era. In its earliest manuscript versions, the