Snoopy comic to explain punctuation and sense in Augustine’s De civitate Dei — comparing an 11th‑century scribe (M) with a 14th‑century copy (N)

Goal: Use a short Snoopy strip to show how small punctuation/line-break changes by medieval scribes affect meaning and reader understanding, illustrating the point Roger Bacon makes (that wrong punctuation can destroy the sensus). The comic compares the 11th‑century manuscript (M) and the 14th‑century copy (N) of Augustine’s passage.

Overall concept

Make the strip playful but accurate. Snoopy (curious detective / scholar) discovers two rolls of parchment: one labeled M (11th c.) and one labeled N (14th c.). Woodstock and Charlie Brown can play the role of ordinary readers who react to clarity or confusion. Use visual metaphors for punctuation — traffic signs, bridges, or little fence posts — to show how punctuation guides readers.

Storyboard (6 panels)

1. Panel 1 — Set up
   Visual: Snoopy in a scholar hat at a table with two scrolls. Caption: "Snoopy finds two copies of Augustine — one from the 11th c., one copied in the 14th c."
2. Panel 2 — Show manuscript M (11th c.)
   Visual: Close‑up of a neat single column of text written in a handlike script. Under it, show a magnifying-glass bubble. Reproduce the key line (use a stylized, readable font):

   M. Quoniam de civitatis vtrivsque. terrenae scilicet et caelestis, debitis finibus deinceps mihi uideo disputandum s prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi ratio patitur, argumenta mortalium. quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius uitae infelicitate moliti sunt, ut ab eorum rebus uanis spes nostra quid differat quam deus nobis dedit. & res ipsa hoc est uera beatitudo quam dabit i non tantum auctoritate diuina. sed adhibita etiam ratione qualem propter infideles possumus adhibere, clarescat.

   Speech bubble (Charlie Brown reading, calm): "Ah — clear stops. The sentence breaks make the thought easy to follow."
3. Panel 3 — Show manuscript N (14th c.)
   Visual: Close‑up of the 14th‑century copy with slashes and more frequent stops (use the supplied punctuation):

   N. Quoniam de ciuitatis vtriusque terrene scilicet et celestis. debitis finibus deinceps mihi uideo disputandum t prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi facio patitur . argumenta mortalium, quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius uite infelicitate moliti sunt • ut ab eorum rebus uanis spes nostra quid differat / quam deus nobis dedit et res ipsa / hoc est uera beatitudo / quam dabit / non tantum auctoritate diuina • sed adhibita eciam racione / qualem propter infideles possumus (adhibere) clarescat-

   Speech bubble (Woodstock squinting): "Huh? Too many stops!"
4. Panel 4 — Visual metaphor showing the effect
   Visual: Two small vignettes side by side. Left: a road with clear signs (comma = slow sign; period = red stop sign) guiding a reader-car smoothly to the destination labeled "sense/meaning." Right: a road with extra arbitrary stop signs and slashes (drawn as fences) that force the car to stop and turn in the wrong places — it ends up in a field labeled "confusion." Caption: "Scribes add punctuation where they expect confusion; different punctuation can lead readers to different destinations."
5. Panel 5 — Close reading example
   Visual: Magnifying glass over the fragment around "quam deus nobis dedit... res ipsa..." Explanatory word‑balloons (Snoopy as teacher):

   • M (11th): "... quid differat quam deus nobis dedit. & res ipsa hoc est uera beatitudo ..." — a clear stop after 'dedit'; the clause 'res ipsa...' begins a new thought. The reader understands: 'What difference does it make compared to what God gave? And the thing itself is true beatitude ...'.
   • N (14th): "... quam deus nobis dedit et res ipsa / hoc est uera beatitudo / quam dabit ..." — punctuation and an 'et' tie clauses together and the slashes break the flow differently; a reader might parse ‘res ipsa’ as continuing the earlier clause or interpret phrases as appositions — the sense shifts or becomes ambiguous.

   Small caption: "A few marks change grouping, emphasis, and where the reader mentally pauses — so sense (sensus) can change."
6. Panel 6 — Roger Bacon cameo + Punchline
   Visual: A ghostly medieval scholar (label him 'Roger Bacon') appears above the manuscripts with a sign quoting the line: "When correct punctuation is not observed the true order ... changed and the sensus perishes with the letter." Snoopy does a little funeral for a tiny letter (cute, not morbid). Charlie Brown says: "So scribes were punctuation editors — trying to keep meaning alive." Punchline caption: "Punctuation: medieval life support for sense."

Design & textual choices

• Lettering: Reproduce the Latin in a calligraphic font (legible) but keep the punctuation exactly as in the two witnesses so readers can compare visually.
• Color coding: Use green highlights to show how punctuation in M groups words into a particular phrase, red for places in N where the reader might be led astray or where extra stops interrupt the natural flow.
• Annotations: Add tiny numbered notes (1, 2, 3) next to the differing punctuation marks and a side‑box with concise modern paraphrases showing how the meaning/flow shifts. Keep the paraphrase short and non‑technical.
• Tone: Keep it light and explanatory. Snoopy's humor can illustrate confusion (e.g., exaggeratedly reading the slashed text like a shopping list) while still teaching the point.

Short teaching script (what Snoopy says)

Use two types of speech: one for literal reading of the Latin (in small italic under the facsimile) and one for the teaching paraphrase in plain English.

Example speech bubbles (modern English):

• "This 11th‑century scribe put the stop here — the thought finishes, and a new one begins."
• "The 14th‑century copy uses more stops and slashes — it ties phrases together differently and breaks the flow more often."
• "Scribes weren’t capricious — they added marks where they expected readers to stumble."

Teaching notes (to accompany the comic)

• Point out that medieval punctuation is not a strict grammar but a reading aid placed by scribes and correctors for particular audiences — they were solving a practical problem: preventing confusion.
• Show the Roger Bacon quote as a historical echo that medieval and early modern readers recognized: punctuation preserves the sentential order and sense.
• Use the comic to prompt critical questions: Did the 14th‑century copyist inherit the same sense or change it? Which reading better matches Augustine’s intent? (Invite students to justify their answers by rephrasing the sentence in plain English.)

Variants and extensions

• For a classroom handout: provide a side‑by‑side transcription of the M and N excerpts with color‑coded phrases and a brief modern translation showing how punctuation shifts the grouping of clauses.
• For a longer strip: expand the close‑reading panel into two panels, one showing a reader who stops in the wrong place and loses the sense, the other showing how corrected punctuation restores clarity.

Summary line (caption idea): "Tiny marks, big consequences — medieval scribes punctuated to save the sense. Snoopy shows how a few dots and slashes can guide or mislead a reader across centuries."