Technology makes most things possible, even if juxtaposing it with the written word seems rather jarring at first. Language, literature and education all perform integral functions in human progress. More than 10 inventions changed the face of the field permanently, of course, but this list focuses on the ones leaving the most massive impact. Some readers may agree, many more may disagree (because this is the internet), but if nothing else consider this a quick and dirty primer to literature’s oft-overlooked physical history.
-
Written Language: The earliest technology impacting literature is probably the most important, influential and lasting. Without written language, storytelling would remain forever relegated to the realm of oral communication. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and all efforts to preserve the art are more than commendable. But the ability to actually give shape to words is something almost everyone takes for granted, its true meaning obscured over millennia of distance, impacts more than just literature as art. The comparative permanence of pictures and words allows ideas to spread further with their meanings intact, revolutionizing everything from politics to philosophy to art and all other facets of human existence.
-
Stylus: Utilized in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Crete, styluses were normally constructed of reeds, bone or metal and used to carve words into clay tablets. This early form of writing, known as cuneiform, allowed for more detailed, organized record keeping and even helped develop the linear shape known today. Because these civilizations were able to better chronicle important events, political decrees and critical agricultural and meteorological information, they became pivotal in humanity’s cultural and technological evolution. And all thanks to the contributions of an unassuming, sharpened little stick. Even now, the tiny plastic tools used to navigate PDAs and Nintendo DSs carry on the stylus’ legacy in both name and function.
-
Ink: Paper and ink go together like Nickelback and terrible. Like many of the ancient inventions still active in some form or another today, kids today are too busy with their hippity-hop music and SpongeBills to sit and contemplate just how hugely it impacted humanity. The first few inks, developed over five millennia ago, were invented by the Chinese and consisted of soot and gelatin. Others whipped up in Egypt, Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia used easily obtained minerals and berries, and different colors would often indicate different things. Not only did this invention completely revolutionize writing, but art and the entirety of the pre-digital printing industry as well.
-
Paper: While Europeans were still flopping about in mud and dung, the Chinese invented paper. Prior to its world-shaking development, humanity used clay tablets, papyrus, cloth sheets, bark and rice paper (which, despite its name, is not actually considered paper) to meet all writing needs. Paper constructed of fibers macerated to individual strands, then mixed with water and run through a screen popped up on the technology scene in 105 CE. Eunuch Ts’ai Lun started with vegetable fibers when making the first few sheets of this wondrous technology, and as the process grew more sophisticated and streamlined, other plant matter (such a bamboo, mulberry and hemp) found itself pressed into service. Considering people still use paper in 2011, it probably goes without saying that it’s kind of a big deal.
-
Binding: Prior to the invention of books, longform literary works had to be toted around in stacks, rolled up or something similarly inconvenient. The First Century CE saw the advent of bookbinding, with many techniques either still in use or existing in a streamlined fashion today. At first, more "modern" book forms involved vellum pages and were almost exclusively the handiwork of monks. They would whittle away their days copying scriptures and creating gorgeous, painstakingly detailed illuminated manuscripts right on the sheepskin. It wasn’t until the invention of movable type and the printing press when books could finally reach a wider audience.
-
Movable Type: Bi Sheng developed the world’s first movable type in 1040 CE. It started out as a wooden construct, but quickly evolved into clay forms when splinters started getting stuck in the ink. By 1234, Korean printers started using metal plates in their prints, which eventually became the standard in Asia and Europe. Movable type allowed printers to create literary works – especially books and pamphlets — at a far faster rate than by hand. The entire field of typography sprung up around these inventions and refinements, and even today’s digital fonts are still defined using the same terminology.
-
Printing Presses: Printing existed long before the printing press, but Johannes Gutenberg’s 1452 creation took many of the concepts found in Asian technologies and discovered ways to mass produce literary works even more efficiently. His punch and mold system involved a reusable tray inspired by Korean and Chinese blocks that gently set oil-based inks on inexpensive, sturdy paper. Regardless of whether or not these Gutenberg Presses produced pamphlets or books (usually religious, philosophical and/or political in nature), historians cite its development as absolutely essential to the climbing literacy and education rate in Europe at the time. Even illiterate individuals, who still comprised the majority of the population, still enjoyed participating in the burgeoning book culture.
-
Internet: Nobody will deny that computers and other digital technologies left a major imprint on the publishing world, but the internet’s popularity surge changed it even more. Blogging especially provided many promising authors a forum in which to share their ideas, reaching a much broader audience than traditional analog outlets. It opened them up to more networking conduits than before as well, and online writing forums still bring together creators worldwide wanting to better hone their skills. Niche and/or underground mediums and genres such as comics, zines and fanfiction received a pixilated makeover and currently thrive much closer to the mainstream than they once did. Along with text messaging, chat speak led to a major evolution in language, spawning a vernacular consisting most visibly of abbreviations, acronyms and ironic misspellings. Brand new mediums such as webcomics and Twitter novels both sprang up as a direct result of the internet’s prolificacy.
-
Ebook Readers: By this point, both gadget buffs and their Luddite counterparts are largely sick of hearing about whether or not ebook readers will render traditional books obsolete. Time, obviously, will reveal the truth. Regardless, devices such as the Kindle, Nook and Readers tantalize audiences who delight in carrying multiple books in one sleek package. For the ardent bibliophile, investing in an ebook reader might actually prove an economical decision from both financial and spatial perspectives. Many nonfiction and fiction works come at a significant discount when bought in a digital format, with most public domain classics available completely gratis. If nothing else, less paper laying around reduces one’s risk of a fire…
-
Tablet Computers: The next stage in computing possesses the same perks as an ebook reader, but expands upon them for a wholly different experience. iPads are probably the first tablet computers everyone thinks about thanks to aggressive marketing and avowed Apple fanatics, but they are by no means alone out there. Unlike ebook readers, these seriously cool gadgets incorporate almost all the hallmarks of home computing. This allows for a far higher degree of interactivity with texts — an absolutely amazing prospect whose potential has yet to be even a fraction explored so far.
Facebook Comments