two beds separated by a monastic partition

[Marius Hancu]

Hello:

Is this term of "monastic partition" something created ad-hoc by Hemingway?

Or is it long-known?

--------
[Meeting a matador]

"Do you want to meet Pedro Romero?"

"Fine," said Bill. "Let's go see him."

We followed Montoya up a flight and down the corridor.

"He's in room number eight," Montoya explained. "He's getting dressed
for the bull-fight."

Montoya knocked on the door and opened it. It was a gloomy room with a
little light coming in from the window on the narrow street. There
were two beds separated by a monastic partition. The electric light
was on. The boy stood very straight and unsmiling in his bull-fighting
clothes. His jacket hung over the back of a chair.

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, p. 149
---------

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

[tinwhistler]

Marius Hancu wrote:
[snip]

Post by Marius Hancu
Montoya knocked on the door and opened it. It was a gloomy room with a
little light coming in from the window on the narrow street. There
were two beds separated by a monastic partition. [snip]

Googling turned up a possible explanation:

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/monastic/monastic.htm

A Brief History of Western Monasticism
Written by Robert Jones
[Excerpt]
"The monks are to sleep in separate beds...If possible, all are to
sleep in ... By the 14th century, many monasteries had erected
partitions for privacy. ...
[End excerpt]

Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego

[Peter Duncanson]

On 7 Dec 2006 16:29:19 -0800, "tinwhistler"

Post by tinwhistler
[snip]

Post by Marius Hancu
Montoya knocked on the door and opened it. It was a gloomy room with a
little light coming in from the window on the narrow street. There
were two beds separated by a monastic partition. [snip]

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/monastic/monastic.htm
A Brief History of Western Monasticism
Written by Robert Jones
[Excerpt]
"The monks are to sleep in separate beds...If possible, all are to
sleep in ... By the 14th century, many monasteries had erected
partitions for privacy. ...
[End excerpt]

Also from Trappists, Catholic Encyclopedia:
The monks ...

All sleep in a common dormitory, the beds being divided from
each other only by a partition and curtain, the bed to consist
of mattress and pillow stuffed with straw, and sufficient
covering. The monks are obliged to sleep in their regular
clothing; which consists of ordinary underwear, a habit of
white, and a scapular of black wool, with a leathern cincture;
the cowl, of the same material as the habit, is worn over all.

That suggests to me the following arrangement:

The beds have their head ends against the wall of the dormitory, in
typical dormitory style. Each bed is separated from the adjacent
beds by simple partitions extending from the wall to just beyond the
foot of the bed. The tops of the partitions would be above head
height. The curtains would be between the ends of the partitions to
form the fourth "wall" of the "cubicle". The monks would be unable
to see one another. I imagine that the partitions would not reach
the ceiling.

Whether the partitions would muffle the sounds of a snoring monk is
another matter altogether.

[Lars Eighner]

Post by Marius Hancu
Is this term of "monastic partition" something created ad-hoc by Hemingway?

The term (that is, the words taken together) seem to be something Hemingway
devised in much the same way anyone would put "red" and "truck" together to
describe a vehicle. It seems to mean "a partition like those in
monesteries." This is not, of course, very helpful to those who have not
seen many or any partitions in monestaries, but those who have would
understand it to mean a screen or divider providing a mostly symbolic
separation rather than actual privacy.

Post by Marius Hancu
Or is it long-known?
--------
[Meeting a matador]
"Do you want to meet Pedro Romero?"
"Fine," said Bill. "Let's go see him."
We followed Montoya up a flight and down the corridor.
"He's in room number eight," Montoya explained. "He's getting dressed
for the bull-fight."
Montoya knocked on the door and opened it. It was a gloomy room with a
little light coming in from the window on the narrow street. There
were two beds separated by a monastic partition. The electric light
was on. The boy stood very straight and unsmiling in his bull-fighting
clothes. His jacket hung over the back of a chair.
The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, p. 149
---------
Thanks.
Marius Hancu