Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, manuscripts in Aramaic, Arabic, and Hebrew, the illuminated Christian Gospels, the Talmud, the Koran—with these forms and collections of writing came the expectation that a person would read them out loud and would, in a manner of speaking, conjure their reality. In his book A History of Reading, Alberto Manguel points out that Aramaic and Hebrew, the “primordial” languages of the Bible, draw no distinction between reading and speaking. The same word stands for both. Buddhism and Hinduism also give an exalted place to the spoken word.
The opening words of The Odyssey—“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story”—make this clear: The storyteller is acknowledging at the start that the tale he tells is not his own, and that he hopes for divine assistance in telling it well.
I think it is pretty interesting that people engaged with reading this way. The author of this article notes that it becomes a living story. This also had the benefit of reaching persons that could not read. I wonder if the content was remembered more vividly through both seeing and hearing the words.
- Dagwood222 ( @Dagwood222@lemm.ee ) 20•9 months ago
[off topic?]
Back in the day, cigar makers would hire a someone to read the newspapers out loud during working hours. Sometimes the staff would choose different books/magazines.
https://www.holts.com/clubhouse/cigar-culture/cigar-factory-lectors
- janNatan ( @janNatan@lemmy.ml ) 10•9 months ago
The recent German book “the door to door bookstore” (original “Der Buchspazierer”) actually has a scene involving one of these orators.
I had to re-read a whole section of the book because I thought for sure I was misunderstanding part of the German text. But, nope.
Great feel good book for people who like books, btw.
- Dagwood222 ( @Dagwood222@lemm.ee ) 2•9 months ago
How Can I Help You, by Laura Sims. Two librarians in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Great feel good book for people who like libraries
That’s interesting. I suppose it’s similar to having the radio or TV on the background at work.
- Dagwood222 ( @Dagwood222@lemm.ee ) 3•9 months ago
I may be wrong, but I remember a scene in Robert Redford’s movie ‘Havana’ where the cigar makers are listening to Marx, until the owner walks in and the reader switches to a gossip magazine.
- HubertManne ( @HubertManne@kbin.social ) 9•9 months ago
Is this surprising to anyone. Reading/writing being a common skill in the populace is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Sure but this isn’t just about reading and writing as skills. So you don’t find it different that everyone used to read out loud to themselves as a common practice and now everyone reads silently? Would it not be strange if everyone read books out loud to themselves on a bus or in their home?
- HubertManne ( @HubertManne@kbin.social ) 3•9 months ago
they were reading out loud to other people who could not read most of the time. At that point it would just be habit because its so unoften one would read alone.
I suppose that makes sense, especially if texts were rare
- wildginger ( @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one ) 1•9 months ago
Pretty surprising to people who dont have great history schooling, which is most people on the planet
- Malgas ( @Malgas@beehaw.org ) English4•9 months ago
With regard to the Homeric epics (The Iliad opens similarly), it should probably be noted that they didn’t originate as written works, nor did Homer compose them; he recorded an existing oral tradition.
- blterrible ( @blterrible@lemmy.ml ) English3•9 months ago
We should go back to this. I want to ride on a subway with everyone shouting “Meet hot singles in your area! Improve facial skin with one simple trick! Secret and confidential. Eyes only!”