2-1-Q – Chapter 2

 LIL 120 A – Fall 2024

Professor Cripps

2 – Offer 2 Specific Details from the chapter. For each, ID/quote add 3-8 sentences of your own explanation.

1. Benedictine Rule that all Monks had to live under…the Benedictine Rule refers to the strict set of guidelines established by St. Benedict in the 6th century that governed the daily lives of monks. These rules emphasized obedience, humility, and a structured routine of prayer, work, and study. Monks lived in communal settings under the authority of an abbot, with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their days were punctuated by a schedule of religious services, manual labor, and the copying of manuscripts, which was seen as a form of spiritual discipline and service to God. Personally, I see the Benedictine Rule as ridiculous or extreme, but that is because of my modern sensibilities and because of its highly regimented and ascetic nature, which required complete devotion to a monastic life devoid of personal freedom. The emphasis on strict obedience, with monks having to follow a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and silence, leaves little room for individuality or personal expression, and I personally love my freedom and will to do anything I wish.
2. “The monastery was a place of rule, but in the scriptorium there were rules within rules.” (pg. 43, para. 3, sentence 1). The monastery as a whole already functioned under the strict Benedictine Rule, but the scriptorium—where monks were responsible for preserving ancient texts—imposed even more detailed and specific constraints. In this environment, monks had to adhere to precise guidelines not only about their behavior but also about the act of copying itself. Silence was strictly enforced, so they could not speak to one another, ensuring that the sacred task of copying was not disturbed. Their posture, the way they held their writing tools, and the care they took with the manuscripts were all carefully regulated to avoid mistakes or damage to the texts. The process was slow and painstaking, often requiring long hours of concentrated effort in uncomfortable conditions, such as cold and dimly lit rooms. And considering this, I believe that these “rules within rules” reflected the gravity of the work: copying was considered a sacred duty to the monks, as the preservation of knowledge, particularly religious texts, was seen as a service to God. However, the additional layers of discipline in the scriptorium also seemed to magnify the already strict and, to modern eyes, perhaps excessively so, monastic life.

1 – Make 1 Connection to Self, to World, or to Text – or Extended by offering a little detail about something mentioned in the text (some light research needed to Extend)

Connection to World: Paragraph 2, page 25, “‘He all be compelled to read.’…achievements of ancient thought”.  I think this quote really emphasizes the timeless importance of reading and learning from the past. This idea is highly relevant to the modern day, as it underscores how reading not only preserves knowledge but also serves as a bridge to understanding the intellectual, philosophical, and cultural achievements that shaped our world. When we want to learn another culture or travel to another place or time, but either don’t have the money to, or physically it is not possible, what do we do? We read about that specific place/time to learn and grow. In today’s context, to continue the growth of humanity, it is important to read about our past and learn from the success and mistakes of earlier civilizations–no matter how much society continues to fail to do sometimes. Second, ancient texts often explore universal human concerns—like love, mortality, and justice—that are still relevant today, helping us understand ourselves and others more deeply. And third, reading past works fosters critical thinking by exposing us to different worldviews, challenging our assumptions, and encouraging intellectual growth.

Q – Give us a Good Question to chew on – 1-3 sentences

The last sentence of chapter 2 states, “What is not clear is whether he had any initiation at all that he was releasing a book that would help in time to dismantle his entire world”. Greenblatt is referring to Poggio copying Lucretius Latin verses. Why do you think he ends the chapter this way? What do you think he means when he says doing this will dismantle Poggio’s entire world?

By stating that Poggio may not have realized he was releasing a book that would dismantle his world, I think that Greenblatt is highlighting the profound impact this ancient text would have on the intellectual, cultural, and religious ideas of Poggio’s time, specifically the medieval worldview dominated by Christianity that we have seen so far in this book. 

Lucretius’ work, grounded in Epicurean philosophy, challenged the traditional religious beliefs of the Middle Ages by proposing a universe governed by chance and natural laws, rather than divine intervention. Which was unheard of and outright denied by most of the people during that time. These ideas laid the groundwork for a more secular, scientific understanding of the world, which ultimately contributed to the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern secular thought.

By saying that Poggio might not have known he was dismantling his world, Greenblatt suggests that Poggio, a product of his own medieval context, likely didn’t foresee that rediscovering and copying Lucretius’ verses would challenge the very foundations of the worldview he lived within. The dissemination of these radical ideas would slowly erode the dominance of the Church and reshape Western thought, effectively “dismantling” the intellectual and religious framework of Poggio’s world.