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“The Book as a Force of Change”

Introduction

In our recorded history, we have seen how humans have always found a way to communicate with one another. Oral tradition, which continues to be passed down today in various forms, began the mark of creating a united language and community whether it was through music or stories passed down through word of mouth. Then, written tradition was formed through rock paintings & symbol carvings, the Sumerian archaic and Egyptian hieroglyphics. These set a precedent for the printed book today. After the invention of the printing press, early writing forms and their processes have given us a unique perspective into how print culture forced a shift in western society in both a political and cultural manner. 

Book Culture 

In What Is the History of Books?, Robert Darnton (1982) discusses his perspective and model of book history through what he calls the “communication circuit” that traces the social history of the book from the producer, printer, shipper, sellers, readers, and back to the author. The book and printing business are highlighted as interconnected from the cost of paper, the process of insuring, distribution and sales, if literary agents aided in the author’s pursuit of publication, piracy, trade and public demands, and finally partly the focus of this paper, the politics of book content. Darnton examined these correspondences which led to his understanding of the effects that book culture has on the world - “books don’t merely record or recount history, they make it.” These examinations lead me to D.F. McKenzie’s (1986) concept of “sociology of texts” from his work Bibliography and the Sociology of Texts. The sociology aspect refers to the study of paratext which was analyzing the illustrations, preface, footnotes and more to understand the authors and publishers meaning of the text. The materiality was centered as crucial to understanding the meaning. This is to mean that re-editions and re-edits shift the meaning of the text to that of that particular publisher (or if new authors are presented). 

Black Literary Tradition 

Before the invention of the printing press, the Bible was painstakingly copied by hand within monasteries and this practice led to a confusing assortment of scripture being distributed among the Christian nations. McKenzie’s theory succinctly explains this scriptural issue because the revisions, translations, and re-editions all created a new meaning to this holy book. These new meanings can lead to, and often have, a distortion of its original author’s intentions. Of course, there has to be some level of nuance when it comes to religious text due to its intangible roots. However, especially after the invention of the printing press, these shifts of meanings within the Bible lead to the ability of the Europeans to utilize the printed Word* as a means of colonization. 

“[We have] to reconsider how we have tended to define "African-American literature" or "African-American print culture" and whether these definitions provide the appropriate depth and complexity.” - Frances Smith Foster (2005)

When the Atlantic Slave Trade began, a missionary effort began to convert and assimilate the enslaved through the use of the Bible. The efforts to enslave and oppress the African people led to a particular curation of the book to favor and encapsulate the Hamitic theory while erasing the story of Moses in the book of Genesis which favors liberation. Slave owners made sure that any text read to the enslaved were distorted to justify not only the enslavement but the violence perpetrated onto them. This distortion and manipulation of the printed Word* proved to be counterproductive because on top of not being allowed to read or write, the enslaved people came to understand the written word as a tool of power. Printing culture became a tool that shaped the nation over a series of events after this realization. Where the colonizers saw complacency and idiocy, the enslaved saw the force of the “white man’s g*d” through the printed word and aimed to utilize that knowledge to their benefit. These individuals created a platform for liberation and equality through the use of the written, printed word. This brings me back to Darnton’s (1982) analysis of the book exchange process because of its heightened intensity in this process. Everybody involved was literally creating history! From obtaining the paper to the distribution and sales. In that time, the heightened suspicion surrounding how to keep the enslaved enslaved and the free oppressed, was imposed in violent manners so those that strived to get these narratives out, put their life on the line. It was dangerous even for the white abolitionists who aided in the process because the written, printed word was seen as a revolutionary starter that the oppressors wanted to quell. But the printed word was not the only revolutionary aspect that some tend to forget. The “communication circuit” might be understood by experienced historians but for the average reader, we must take a step back to see that the development of written text shapes our political and cultural world. This collaborative process shaped the early literary world which led to massive shifts in society. 

* Capitalization of Word to mean holy/religious text (i.e., Word of g*d)

Print Culture

There are many notable figures who led the revolution of getting the word out and became some of the first Black printers and publishers but I want to highlight Rev. Peter Williams, Jr. and William Hamilton. In 1827, they created the first Black news publication titled The Freedom’s Journal and this set off a precedent of Black literary figures to create more literature. The first Black editors came to write for The Freedom’s Journal which included publications on current events, anti-slavery editorials, international news, and biographies. The newspaper reached over hundreds of thousands of freed Black men and women across the United States and even other nations including Haiti, Europe, and Canada. 

The creation of Black publications and its process not only defined a cultural shift but was a center for escaped slaves to seek refuge and aid in their journey. African-American print culture represents how disparate parts of book history and culture actually come together. However, factors outside of the Black literaries control affected the view of Black print culture as limited to resources, materials, and audiences. In Cheap Editions, Little Books, and Handsome Duodecimos: A Book History Approach to Antebellum Slave Narratives, Roy (2015) utilizes slave narratives to paint a picture of how Black print culture was examined in a social perspective.

“By examining how these texts were published and circulated, I show that generalizations about antebellum slave narratives—slave narratives as bestsellers, as directed toward a Northern white audience, as a distinct genre recognizable by all—distort the complex history of this literary tradition. I argue that acknowledging the heterogeneous nature of what we usually perceive as a homogeneous whole gives us a better sense of how these texts might have been variously received and consumed in the decades preceding the Civil War.” 

This white-washing of history and tradition set forth by these revolutionists complicated the print culture that was in place. It was generated in this manner to disrupt the print culture and the liberation movement by concreting these narratives to the point in time in which they were created and nothing further comes out of it. This brings me back to McKenzie’s (1986) notion of different meanings but this time centered around the readers rather than the re-editions. The readers, in this case the white northern audience, shifted the meaning of the written word by memorializing it rather than continuing the push for liberation. Roy (2015) makes a point to note that these narratives might have been received differently if they were published long before the Civil War if there was an acknowledgement of its complicated roots. I don’t agree with that statement because of the systemic issues that cloud understanding and ignorance. However, I do believe that if the narratives were framed and read in a fresh perspective then the literary tradition might not have been distorted. This led to my understanding of Darnton’s (1982) concept of the communication circuit and how the reader completes that circuit. “By reading and associating with other readers and writers, they form notions of genre and style and a general sense of the literary enterprise, which affects their text…” Roy (2015) explains this association as “genre limiting” which is exactly what happened with the narratives. They became trapped in their genre and the reader completes that circle with the communication of their received message and interpretation. 

Modernity 

“We believe what is needed is greater appreciation for multivalent modes of Black inventiveness and inventions.” (Moody & Rambsy, 2015)

With the arrival of modern civilization and the technological revolution, literary and print culture have shifted. The rise of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther movement led to a greater solidification of the literary tradition but it was still seen as lacking metaphysical properties meaning the depth was not acknowledged or utilized outside of Black spaces. Moody & Rambsy (2015) argue that a greater utilization is needed of Black print material cultures spanning beyond movements but incorporated within schools, work environments, and the general public. With more Black people populating work and school spaces, a greater demand is needed for more Black literature on print culture. Accessibility and erasure are major issues to these demands and the demand of equity because of systemic issues and how Black anything is seen as only necessary for the involved community rather than a need for the entire nation. The problems that Roy (2015) found with the slave narratives have continued to be a present issue when it comes to Black literary tradition and print culture because of how the readers or lack of readers are distorting and shifting the meaning of our print materials (Darnton, 1982). 

“ For some scholars of African American expression, print culture has been integral to literature long before becoming a study of academic inquiry.” (Moody & Rambsy, 2015)

Today there needs to be a demand for more culturally relevant and diverse text presented within classroom and work settings. As a former teacher, I’ve personally seen the outdated print materials available and accessible to students which are lacking in substantial quality especially within lower income and minority populated schools. Black print materials are continuously disregarded as lacking relevance to non-Black individuals when in totality, it actually encompasses a diverse and wide range of knowledge in every aspect. Especially given the Black diaspora and the forced enslavement, Black print culture can actually generate signifiers of history from multiple unique perspectives which should be taken into account. However, the erasure of Black voices within any type of media has been going on for centuries and will continue until greater cultural shifts occur.

Reflection

I believed “The Book as a Force of Change” was an appropriate title because it encapsulated just how impactful the printed word really is in society. There are many instances in history that prove that statement as well from what I discussed within my paper, the liberation movement through print culture, the Holocaust practices implemented to create hate and division, and even in modern media/film in movies such as Fahrenheit 451 (as well as the preceding novel). Understanding the cultural aspects of book history has allowed me to create connections with other media and how the printed word set these precedents. Of course, the written word can have negative consequences which we can visibly see in this world through the scars of colonialism and imperialism. This is where I overwhelmingly agree with D.F. McKenzie (1986) and his notion of alternative meanings because everyone’s intentions and backgrounds influence how a book is read and received which is interesting considering it could be one same text travelling around in different spaces. I’ve come to understand now that the history of the book greatly intertwines with anthropological, political and cultural history. 

I found this assignment and the history of the book to be a very enthralling subject. As I continued my research on this topic, I realized many aspects of book history are not stated as such outside of a particular academic circle. Darnton’s concepts of the book process has led me to take a step back at every book I’ve read whether modern or dated and deeply consider how I as the reader was meant to absorb this information and the meaning which ties to McKenzie’s theories. Many of the texts we read today are machine printed so the meaning from the author might not shift but I think back to the readers and various publisher editions and how this leads to such diverse dialogue with those now a part of the community. The various hand-written editions of the Bible really created a shift globally to how religion, race, class, and animals interacted with one another whether it benefited more or less. Where for one group it meant to oppress for another it became a liberation tool and the written, printed word led to a literary revolution in the most literal sense. This assignment did, however, have me question the lasting effects of the book and written word. There is a saying that history repeats itself and I wonder if it repeats because of the meanings, emotions, ideas, and actions we absorb from the written word. Overall, my initial struggle to understand the history of the book became absolved after looking at the concept through a cultural lens and being able to see its major and subtle impact within society. 

References

Darnton, R. (1982). What Is the History of Books? Daedalus, 111(3), 65–83. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024803

Foster, F. S. (2005). A Narrative of the Interesting Origins and (Somewhat) Surprising Developments of African-American Print Culture. American Literary History, 17(4), 714–740. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567947 

McKenzie F. D. (1986) Bibliography and the Sociology of Texts. Cambridge University Press. http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam032/98031000.pdf 

Michaël Roy (2015). Cheap Editions, Little Books, and Handsome Duodecimos: A Book History Approach to Antebellum Slave Narratives, MELUS, 40 (3), 69–93.  https://doi.org/10.1093/melus/mlv032 

Moody, J., & Rambsy, H. (2015). Guest Editors’ Introduction: African American Print Cultures. MELUS, 40(3), 1–11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24570157