Week 6: What I Learned and Want to Learn from the Archives Visit

     The visit to archives and special collections was very fascinating for me. My favorite thing about the visit was seeing the varying formats of the collections and the aged quality of much of the work that really took me back to its era. For example, there were texts that were shaped like accordions, a giant bible with illustrations, tiny books, and more. I learned some information about manuscripts and the long process that scribes have to undergo. It was also interesting seeing some books written from right to left rather than the left to right that we are used to. The librarian also covered the way that parchment was made to be used for writing, and though I can’t quite remember the steps involved, she mentioned that it was rather inefficient, hence parchment no longer being in use for writing. I’m more interested in book preservation, and the way that texts were replicated before print was invented. It was most definitely a massively more painstaking process than the easy copy paste printing we have today, not to mention how literacy rates were significantly lower back then. Scribes were likely rare as well, so I wonder just how much ancient text is completely missing just from poor preservation. I also want to be reminded of the process of writing with old material like papyrus and parchment. I am even considering writing about Antigone and the significance of book production back then for my intertextual project since I don’t have an approved topic at the moment.

Comments

  1. John SawyerOctober 31, 2022 at 3:20 PM

    Hey Andrew, I am also interested in book preservation. Especially so in the case of Antigone. The fact that scribing existed in such a time consuming way also resonated with me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Critical Thinkers and WritersNovember 1, 2022 at 12:53 PM

    You can certainly make book history a part of the final project if you choose a theme/topic that allows you to explore older forms of book production. Make an appointment with me to discuss if you're interested in doing this!

    ReplyDelete

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