The most interesting thing I garnered from this week's section of reading was the survey of historical reading methods, specifically the fact that before the tenth century silent reading was considered unusual. Augustine wrote in his Confessions about the strangeness of this silent reading, which, as Manguel points out, suggests that this method of reading was highly abnormal (43).
It makes sense when you consider the time period and the level of literacy across the world, which was abysmally low. Reading was practiced publicly for the most part, where philosophers and the clergy addressed crowds directly. Manguel goes on to describe what he thinks the great libraries of Alexandria and Pergamum must have been like: a multitude of voices and expression, some patrons murmuring quietly while others read aloud at full volume. The steady rustling of turning pages surely mixed with the sound of hundreds of diverse stories and accounts to create a noisy backdrop for any literary excursion.
Today we find ourselves fond of silence and a tranquil, private space in which to conduct our forays into reading, whether the material being consumed is academic or personal in nature.
Brent, I came to somewhat the same conclusion about the aspect of silent reading throughout history. I think, also, that reading aloud, at that time, made more sense for the people of the period, in that, so many were without the capability to read at all. I cannot imagine, today, what the KSU library would sound like with every student in it reading aloud to themselves, or even worse, to a large party of listeners.
ReplyDeletenot brent, haha sorry, luke. its been a long day...
ReplyDeleteI would love to have seen the library at Alexandria, can you imagine all the great works that were lost to history. Stories we will never know, legends lost to time. I wonder if those who visited the library understood its magnitude and truly appreciated what they had at their finger tips or was it like so many things in history, the appreciation comes after it is too late.
ReplyDeleteFirst, love the word "garnered." I, too, found this fact interesting about the book as well. To think of the librarian forcefully whispering "shhh" in the image of the library that we know today compared to the endless murmuring that I imagine in ancient libraries is kind of a crazy thought. It's interesting to also think that we have such trouble reading aloud it seems (or maybe that's just me) and they used to practice it in everyday reading. Perhaps we shouldn't do all of our reading in silence.
ReplyDeleteI should say "most of our reading" not all of it.
ReplyDeleteNo worries Ms. Marquess.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a total and egregious violation of a social norm to have an entire assemblage of library patrons making such a racket. Inevitably just such a finger-wagging librarian as Erin described would come storming into the room to disrupt everyone else's good time.