Discussing Dissertations

By Franziska Putz

Many examples of medieval reckoning start out with an introduction that is almost reminiscent of a modern joke: ‚Two knights, three priests and four virgins walk into a bar …‘

In the case of the annual Austrian conference for doctoral students of medieval studies, the “3. Nachwuchstagung Österreichische Mediävistik”, it went a little bit more like this: Eight doctoral candidates, eight already established scholars and a team of organisers walked into a seminar room in Salzburg to discuss dissertation projects, provide feedback and establish new connections. This was indeed the perfect platform to discuss budding dissertation projects and receive valuable advice in a very pleasant, collegial atmosphere. Each young researcher had the opportunity to present their project through both a detailed exposé and a presentation and received extensive feedback from peers, senior commentators and the general audience . Additionally, we also had the opportunity to practise moderating and commenting on another candidate’s work.

I had the honor of presenting my dissertation and show how my project deals with German-language arithmetic books from the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. Examining them from both a narratological and a cultural-historical perspective, I explored how narrative forms and mathematical contents correlate, how short text forms like arithmetic examples still contain narrative potential, and which functions these elements fulfil in a seemingly non-literary text type. For my presentation, I opted for an exemplary analysis, using a mnemonic verse from the Algorismus Ratisbonensis as a starting point to show that reckoning books harbour far greater potential than just mathematics.

Not only was the conference a great platform to meet like-minded people and share experiences, but we also enjoyed a fantastic supporting programme: Thanks to the organisers, we were able to start the two-day conference by marvelling at some exhibits from the St. Peter’s archive, including for example a record of meals for the monks and a 15th century notarial document. The conference concluded with a special guided tour of the Salzburg Fortress and a farewell while looking down at the particularly snowy city of Salzburg.