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The violence of the letter : toward a theory of writing / Melanie McMahon.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- McMahon, Melanie, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Writing--History--Political aspects.
- Writing.
- Writing--History--Social aspects.
- Alphabet--Political aspects.
- Alphabet.
- Alphabet--Social aspects.
- Genre:
- Electronic books.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (xv, 191 pages)
- Place of Publication:
- Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan Press, 2023.
- 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.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-191) and index.
- Description based on information from the publisher.
- ISBN:
- 9780472903238
- 0472903233
- Access Restriction:
- Open Access Unrestricted online access
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