Tag Archives: Dakota Goodman

The Evolution of The Book

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In chapter one of Amaranth Borsuk’s “The Book”, she details the extensive history of the book as it spans across cultures and people. There is no clear origin to writing since so many cultures have adapted different ways on how to keep records and expressing language. As a result, there are many different variations of the same technology, where the main differences lie in the resources that were available in those regions. While I was reading, I was fascinated by the trial and error that went into these new technologies such as the papyrus scroll in Egypt. Borsuk notes that in order to make scrolls, the papyrus needed to be laid in a specific fashion in order to prevent warping and cracking. As scrolls morphed into bound volumes, there was even trial and error in ink placement and binding. If inked pages were bound side back to back, the ink bled and it became illegible. While it may seem trivial to us now, figuring out how to bind pages together or place ink, was a crucial aspect in the creation of the book. We have become so distant from the newness of a book that we do not seem to realize the rich history behind it. Within Borsuk’s chapter, she is clear to express that the book is a form of technology. It has gone through countless revisions in order to reach the product that we have now. And as a form of technology, it has altered the way that we see the world. 

In her final section of the chapter, “Reading and Writing’s Shifts”, Borsuk includes the evolution of language and academics. As the book slowly takes shape throughout the centuries, language, writing, and learning also changes. Borsuk writes, “As scholar Walter Ong points out in Orality and Literacy, his study of the ways writing technologies restructure consciousness, the written word enabled Greek scholars to transcribe and codify effective rhetorical strategies… Writing, in fact, allowed rhetoric to flourish.” In this quote it is clear how fundamental and powerful the book was and still is. It has the power to alter the way that we see the world and how we respond to it. It has opened countless discussions that allow us to express ourselves and communicate with others. Furthermore, Borsuk goes on to include how the written word has improved vocabulary since people no longer needed to mentally store their vocabulary. The book has furthered human learning, communication, and perception in a way that its crucial to how we have reached today’s society. 

The Act of Reading

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“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.