“The Broadview Introduction to Book History” by Michelle Levy and Tom Mole navigates an introduction that discusses the beginnings of books and the long history of how a book came to be what we know it today. When I was reading this introduction, I was fascinated by the history of reading. On page xvii, it states, “Just as the book has taken many forms, so has reading: silently or aloud, perusing many books or repeatedly returning to the same one, paying close attention or skimming.” I was immediately intrigued by this paragraph because it goes into detail about when silent reading was becoming a standard and how there are many different ways to read. I thought that this was interesting because the act of reading is never considered when discussing books. I have never thought about the way I consumed a book can correlate to a sign of power. Today, reading silently is a common practice and is an individual activity whereas in the past, reading was done with others due to the scarcity of books and reading skills. Reading has changed the way that communities interact. People are no longer seeking out others to read to them since so many people are able to read. Having a group of people gather to hear someone read must have generated discourse and establish a strange power structure in what is being read and what they are willing to hear. On the other hand, living in a society where mostly everyone can read on their own can alter how someone interacts with that text. They are more prone to forming their own opinions before going out to discuss them with others. I am curious to see how this has affected comprehension and the minute yet powerful dynamics of who is reading and who is being read to. Reading is a skill that once it is taught, you can never unlearn the skill. This shows how important the act of reading can be and how it can redefine power structures.
BOOKS!!
ECL 596. Fall 2025. Professor Jessica Pressman with Anna Culbertson
Hey Dakota,
I really liked your incite on the comparison of reading within a group setting versus reading solo. When discussing the difference, you specifically used the words “alter how someone interacts with the text. You mentioned it is more common to form your own opinions on your own, though you didn’t directly address that with any bias. It made me think about that idea, and the power structure, if reading alone then gives more power to the reader, able to come to their own conclusions. Though I believe anything worth putting to text is usually worth discourse, so if both settings include discussion, the author’s goal is accomplished either way.
A reminder that blog posts are due Sunday at midnight to receive credit.
Hi Dakota! I really enjoyed reading your post and this perspective is also something I have considered, although not in depth. Our society is the most literate society in history. There has never been a time where books were easily accessible. It’s easy to forget that reading is a skill. It’s not an innate ability. After all, words aren’t a tangible thing. And once you learn how to read words, you still have to learn to read sentences, and how to comprehend what the words mean. Because reading is a common skill, it has become an independent activity. We can read the news, and we don’t have to go to a crier to understand the newspaper. Reading aloud is still a good skill, especially for kids, to help with speaking.
Hi Dakota!
I also thought that the history of reading and the correlation between who’s reading, how and what that means for power dynamics. It made me think about how things were first written by monks and in the Catholic Church, there is a debate about whether mass should stay in the traditional Latin or be done in the more modern English. It made me think about how while Latin is traditional, it gives whoever is conducting the mass a place of higher power because they are almost the only ones who understanding what they’re saying. It creates a barrier of knowledge and understanding between them and the congregation.