Consuming Literature
First Impressions
How we read a text has a lot to do with how it presents itself to us on the page. Pre-1800 authors often introduced their works to their readers in ways we find rather strange. Let’s look at an example from the beginning of our period and one from the end.
Mastery Check:
- What was Beowulf entitled in its original manuscript?
- What does “paratext” mean?
- What bit of information did Daniel Defoe leave off the cover of Moll Flanders that you’ll find on the cover any modern edition of his novel?
- How do titles affect how we read texts?
The Anonymous Author: Who Are They?
Anonymity was the norm during the early Middle Ages, and many books continued to be published anonymously through the 18th century and beyond. It’s customary to assume that an anonymous work was written by a man–but perhaps we shouldn’t. In this class, I won’t.
Mastery Check:
- What do we know about women as readers and writers in the Middle Ages?
- Why isn’t it safe to assume that any anonymous work was written by a man?
Performance
In the late fourth century, a soul-searching young man by the name of Augustine seeks out Bishop Ambrose of Milan. When Augustine first sees Ambrose, the bishop is reading a book. Augustine is astonished and puzzled. Can you guess what about Ambrose’s reading baffled him?
You’ll find the answer in this video, and learn about other strange reading habits of the past.
Mastery Check:
- What about Ambrose’s reading surprised Augustine?
- What ways of reading were practiced in pre-1800 Britain that are not much practiced today?