SHAVONISAPS.

“When we write … Our hand cannot keep up with our thoughts, and so we have time to weigh our words” ~ Quintilian

‘The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing’ by Jay David Bolter was a great read; highlighting the notion of writing as a teche and detailing it’s evolution. He highlights writing as a technology for collective memory; a way in which human experience can be preserved and passed on.

Despite touching on this idea last year in the Histories and Technologies course, it has always been hard for me, personally, to associate the act of writing with a practical technique or technology. However, Bolter’s article explicitly presents a clear union of the two through the development of writing and the way in which it has progressed throughout the ages.

Interestingly, Bolter articulates that the mechanism of writing began with the invention of the printing press in the 15^th Century- a form of technology, which rivalled handwriting in quality while surpassing it in quantity. This was the beginning of an age in which the need for human muscle was removed and our views of all previous writings were affected. The technology of writing evolves further through the invention of the computer; allowing the writer or reader to alter text just as effortlessly as he can duplicate it.

I really liked the analogy Bolter uses to hone in on writing as technology; thus comparing the writer and the craftsman. He states,

 “All the ancient arts and crafts have this in common: that the craftsman must develop a skill, a technical state of mind in using tools and materials. Ancient and modern writing is a technology in just this sense. It is a method for arranging verbal thoughts in a visual space…The writer always needs a surface upon which to make his or her marks and tools with which to make them, and these materials help to define the nature of the writing.”

 So, whether the quill, parchment, the printing press or computer is used, all writing demands method, and the intention of the writer is to arrange ideas systematically in a space for later examination by a reader.

As Bolter presents a reflection upon the dynamic changes in which electronic technology has evolved from the days of the clay tablet to the scroll, and even to the book, I can’t help but laugh as I am reminded of a comical account of the strange advancement of the book to those in which the scroll was all too familiar… Introducing the Book.

Okay, getting back on track…

I could go on and on about the intriguing findings that Bolter’s article presents, but I think I’ll end on the idea of ‘interiorizing’ and detachment. Bolter highlights Walter Ong’s idea that it is hard for us to recognise writing as a form of technology because we see it as a process of internalization- a personal or subjective procedure, unlike the technical skill of driving a car for example. It is easy to detach one’s self and spend time away from their technological prostheses, but for writers this is not always the case. For Ong, the technological relationship to one’s writing space is constantly with us. We speak as we write, we write in the mind as well as on paper and we are always writing when we think or verbalize.

‘Speak as we write’… That reminds me of one of my tutors (that shall remain nameless) who shows off their vast vocabulary and speaks as though he is writing a scientific dictionary.

Anyway! I guess I’ll just wrap up with a thought to ponder on in relation to detachment that Bolter poses… It isn’t possible for writers to completely detach themselves from technology- to put it away. What makes writing with a pen and paper less technological than writing at a computer screen? Does a pen not require sophisticated manufacturing? Can we ever isolate ourselves from the technology of writing?