Palimpsest - A History of the Written Word

Matthew Battles explores the questions of why writing exists and what it means to those who write. Born from the interplay of natural and cultural history, the seemingly magical act of writing has continually expanded our consciousness. It has been used as both an instrument of power and a channel of the divine; a means of social bonding and of individual self-definition. Now, as the revolution once wrought by the printed word gives way to the digital age, many fear that the art of writing-and the nuanced thinking nurtured by writing-are under threat. But writing itself, despite striving for permanence, is always in the midst of growth and transfiguration.

Celebrating the impulse to record, to invent, to make one's mark, Battles re-enchants the written word for all those susceptible to the power and beauty of writing in all its forms.

Info autore

Matthew Battles is the author of Palimpsest and Library: An Unquiet History and a program fellow at the Berkman Center of Harvard University, where he is associate director of metaLAB, a research group exploring the bounds of networked culture.

Riassunto

A profound, eloquent meditation on the history of writing, from Mesopotamia to multimedia.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Matthew Battles, Battles Matthew
• Editore: W. W. Norton & Company
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 12.08.2016
• EAN: 9780393352924
• ISBN: 978-0-393-35292-4
• Dimensioni: 140 mm x 211 mm x 18 mm
• Peso: 216 g
• Illustrazioni: 15 illustrations
• Categorie: Saggistica > Politica, società, economia > Società; Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Media, comunicazione > Scienze della comunicazione; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Scienze linguistiche e letterarie > Linguistica generale e comparata; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Communication Studies, Communication Studies, Language: reference & general, Language: reference and general