Name:
Lucie Doležalová

Title:
Ph.D., M.A., Mgr.

Current Position/Academic Assignment:
researcher at the Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Hometown:
Brno, Czech Republic

Educational Background:
Mgr. (equivalent of M.A.) from Latin Philology and English Philology, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic M.A. and Ph.D. from Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

How did you learn about HMML?
from my supervisor, Gerhard Jaritz

Current research at HMML:
I currently work on medieval reception of a poem called Summarium Biblie (Summary of the Bible). It is a condensation of the Bible fashioned in such a way that every word stands for one Biblical chapter. Thus, it begins: sex (= six, that is, the six days of creation), prohibet (= he prohibits, that is, God prohibits to eat from the tree), peccant (= they sin, that is Adam and Eve), etc. While searching for the manuscripts of this text and analyzing the differences among them and the glosses they include, I encounter and gather other Biblical memory aids, some of them unedited, and would like to write a more general study on patterns, varieties, and strategies of medieval Bible mnemonics.

Why did you choose to study this—what got you interested in this topic?
I met the Summarium Biblie in several manuscripts of Cena Cypriani (Cyprian's Feast), an obscure Biblical parody/allegory probably written already in the fourth century C.E. which features a great number of Biblical characters gathering at a strange wedding feast organized by king Joel in Cana, Galilee. The medieval reception of Cena Cypriani was the topic my Ph.D. dissertation. The presence of Summarium Biblie and other mnemonic devices in the Cena Cypriani manuscripts guided me to interpret Cena Cypriani as a kind of memory aid and, at the same time, got me interested in medieval Biblical mnemonics as such. Another influence was the excellent work on memory by Mary Carruthers.

What has been the most surprising thing you've uncovered in your current research?
There are many more surviving manuscripts of the Summarium Biblie than I expected and they hide under various titles not only in the manuscripts but also in modern catalogues. In addition, these titles (e.g. Bibla pauperum, Biblia curtata, Biblia versificata, or Biblia metrice compilata) frequently refer to other texts, too (Peter Riga's Aurora, the Biblia pauperum proper, mnemonic verses by Peter of Rosenheim or Johannes Schlichtpacher). Thus, there is a lot of basic preparatory work waiting for me consisting of gathering the manuscripts and identifying the texts they contain before I can proceed to analyzing them.

What can we learn from that?
That life is always more complicated than we thought. But still fun.

Why did you decide to come to HMML for this particular research?
Because HMML has excellent microfilm collection as well as a reference library of secondary sources. It is ideal for such type of preliminary manuscript search since one can check many microfilms every day. However, I would not be able to come without the generous support from the American Philosophical Society.

What did you wish you knew about HMML before you came?
That there were so many relevant manuscripts – I would have made my stay longer.

What would you tell someone about your experience at HMML?
It is a wonderful place with a unique collection and extremely friendly and helpful staff. The beautiful lakes and woods surrounding it allow one's mind to rest and gather energies for the next working day.

Do you have a favorite book or teacher from your youth that influenced your career/academic path?
No. When I was small I read William Saroyan's Tracy's Tiger about 100 times. There is not much medieval about that book.

What do you read for leisure?
When I allow myself the luxury of opening a novel, I read anything. Recently, I read and cordially recommend a book called Naiv. Super. by a Norwegian writer Erlend Loe.

If you could travel back in time, what event would you like to experience in person? Why?
I would like to go the fourth century Rome – not that it would be the most pleasant experience but I would really like to see it, feel it, hear it and smell it. Just for a short time, though, I am very happy in this time and place with my husband and son.