In the 1400s, people in England commenced composing much of their everyday writing—letters, accounts, ordinances, depositions, practical recipes, and such like—in English. This talk will begin with a brief overview of that change and a glimpse of its riches. For the large part, this talk will consider whether such everyday writing influenced the reproduction of literary works in English, which also flourished in this period. In particular, it will consider how everyday writing influenced the material process of writing and the treatment of texts. The talk will examine subjects including the codex format and added leaves; compilations and miscellanies; the page as a graphic unit; the methods of copying and textual transmission; and the choice of cursive handwriting and of display scripts. How different are everyday writing and literary books in their ideas of the materiality or immateriality of the text?
Originally published at italianstudies.nd.edu.