| Description |
1 online resource (xv, 191 pages) |
| Contents |
Intro -- Contents -- Prelude -- Introduction -- 1. A Brief Technical Detour -- 2. The Trauma of Literacy -- 3. The Alphabet and Reproduction -- 4. Plato and the Forms of Alphabetic Writing -- 5. The Alphabet and Money -- Interlude -- 6. Letters of Blood and Fire -- 7. The Subject Is Always Alphabetized -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index |
| Summary |
The emergence of the alphabet in ancient Greece, usually heralded as the first step in the inexorable march toward reason and progress, in fact signaled the introduction of a chance technology that hijacked the future, with devastating consequences for humanity. By investigating an array of cultural artifacts, ranging from Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" to the Oracle at Delphi to Luther's challenge to the Church, this book demonstrates how the apparently benign emergence of writing made possible far-ranging systems of organized domination and unprecedented levels of violence. The Violence of the Letter considers how a twenty-six letter code changed the face of the world, and not always for the better |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-191) and index |
| Notes |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 |
|
Description based on information from the publisher |
| Subject |
Writing -- History -- Political aspects
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Writing -- History -- Social aspects
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Alphabet -- Political aspects
|
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Alphabet -- Social aspects
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Writing -- Social aspects
|
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books
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History
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| Form |
Electronic book
|
| Author |
Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan), publisher.
|
| ISBN |
9780472903238 |
|
0472903233 |
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