Renaissance Latin Method

Latin Learning Latin
1

There is an interesting book on Comenius that explains how his method was to be used (Vestibulum, Janua Linguarum, Atrium, Orbis Pictus, etc.).

What struck me is how inefficient the most progressive method of the day actually was. Comenius envisioned students reading his Vestibulum the first time without actually understanding a word. Little by little, they would learn by rote the meaning of words, and with immense toil and suffering, students would eventually learn Latin accidence, almost as an afterthought of memorizing thousands of words, and move on to reading simple sentences in the Janua, and start the whole process over again.

This and methods like it were generally employed up until the 19th century. Boys would learn the entire grammar by heart without having ever read any Latin except isolated pairs of words, not even simple sentences. Eventually, when all the grammar was learned, they would read dialogues from Corderius, for instance. Boys would spend 6-7 hours a day, six days a week, learning grammar for up to seven years to learn what a modern student learns in a first-year university course.

I believe in the virtues of traditional education, but this is just ridiculous.

2

Are you sure that it was general practice and not just Comenius’s personal method?

In any case, at Vivarium Novum they have a list of books about history and theory of teaching

3

The complete lack of any easier reading material than the humanist dialogues confirms this. In France, for instance, children would learn Lhomond’s grammar by heart, then they would move on to his Epitome, which is a serious text for any beginner. I suspect that the teacher would have them read simple sentences that he composed on-the-fly while they were learning grammar, but I have yet to come across any exercise book dating before the 19th century. Historically, learning was often synonymous with memorizing.

In any case, at Vivarium Novum they have a list of > books about history and theory of teaching

Thanks for the list. This one looks interesting.

4

Just a few thoughts:

  • given the achievements of the Latin learners/writers until the 19th, and the fact that Latin writing has altogther disappeared now that we have cutting-edge pedagogical theories, I would be cautious about deeming Renaissance methods as inefficient (and yes I am aware that there are other factors at play here, like the amount of time dedicated to the teaching/learning of Latin)
  • I’m no specialist but I am pretty sure that boys did not spend 7 seven years on grammar before tackling simple texts (be it Corderius or another author), so I don’t understand your last sentence…
5

Everything changed in the 1800’s with an emphasis on ‘authentic’ Latin - and as these Renaissance texts - which had been composed in deliberate imitation of surviving Latin examples (e.g. the hermeneumata) - were thrown out.
As we have google books, we can easily access this earlier material, and reassemble a renaissance curriculum, should we so wish.
This would include: vestibulum-type material, simplified fables, simplified colloquia, simplified mythogies, etc.
I am serialising a selection of renaissance didactic works on my YouTube channel including much of Comenius.

6

Nesrad, I have read over your post on Comenius, and I regret to say, you appear to have misunderstood Comenius’ method completely. It appears you have not actually read his Opera Didactica Omnia, in particular the part where he outlines his pedagogical methodology.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N3JQAAAAcAAJ

Students first studied his Vestibulum in the vernacular from a young age, and learned to read and write in the vernacular first - he makes this crystal clear. (See Chapter 4, Scholae Vernaculae Delineatio, Vol1, ODO ). After they had learned the vestibulum in their native language, slowly, ever so slowly - they were introduced to the Latin. A special vocabulary was published along with the Vestibulum, giving translations and correct quantities.
A special Grammar was produced as well.

At the same time, children were introduced to simple fables and the like.

Following on from this, he wrote the Orbis, the very first illustrated book for children ever published.

Comenius wanted his students speaking in Latin ‘balbutire’ as he put it, from the get-go.
He was a great believer in object lessons - the classroom should be filled with models, pictures, and other wise things should be acted out,using theatre (declensions were to be learned through theatrical acting of little scripts, for example). Rote learning? He was utterly opposed to it,and utterly opposed to students being pushed into classical texts prematurely. Remember, in his day, Latin was a working language. Students needed to be functional in it to go to university.

It was as far from rote learning as one could imagine, and was very close to modern pedagogical methods. I am currently serialising Comenius on my YouTube channel, and have produced many of his works previously as audio books. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEB99350966684070