Thesis
Crafting a facsimile of Exeter book fol. 122v: an examination of English square minuscule and the implications of recreation
University of Iowa
Master of Arts (MA), University of Iowa
Spring 2026
Abstract
The Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, more commonly known as the Exeter Book, is possibly the oldest surviving book of vernacular poetry from early medieval England. Written in the 10th century, it bears the literal scars of its thousand year lifespan. The purpose of this thesis is to document the process of creating a facsimile version of Exeter Book folio 122v, as it might have existed when it was first created. What can we learn about the early medieval writing process, and specifically this book, through the process of recreation? What does it mean to create a facsimile in “original” condition, especially when some of those details are unknown?The first section covers the material choices for the facsimile, as I attempted to use historical materials and tools whenever possible. Second, I use Edward Johnston’s 7-step analysis for historical scripts, cumulating in a proposed ductus (number, order, and direction of strokes) for this scribe’s version of the English Square Minuscule hand. I used this ductus to provide commentary on what I see as the aesthetic and practical priorities of the scribe. Finally, I will use the ductus to analyze and compare fragments of the West Saxon Gospels that are attributed to the same scribe (or scribal group).
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Crafting a facsimile of Exeter book fol. 122v: an examination of English square minuscule and the implications of recreation
- Creators
- Rachel Poppen
- Contributors
- Jonathan Wilcox (Advisor)Cheryl Jacobsen (Committee Member)Harilaos Stecopoulos (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- English
- Date degree season
- Spring 2026
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- x, 55 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2026 Rachel Poppen
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/28/2026
- Description illustrations
- illustrations (some color)
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (page 49-50).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
In 10th century England, a scribe sat down to write one of the oldest surviving manuscripts of Old English poetry – the Exeter Book. Since then, this manuscript has been cut, spilled on, rebound, and burnt. The purpose of this thesis is to recreate (with historically accurate materials) one page from that manuscript, the damaged folio 122v, as it might have looked to the scribe that wrote it. I used the information gathered through this creation process to provide an analysis of the page that cumulates in a proposed ductus (number, order, and direction of strokes) for this scribe’s version of the English Square Minuscule hand. This ductus can not only be used to compare different versions of the hand, but also to make suggestions about the priorities and aesthetic choices of the scribe.
- Academic Unit
- English
- Record Identifier
- 9985177173202771
Metrics
1 Record Views