Da Rold 2020 - Revision history

Wtrettien at 22:05, 20 February 2022

2022-02-20T22:05:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:05, 20 February 2022
Line 190:		Line 190:

	Showing how paper is becoming a household object		Showing how paper is becoming a household object

			== The Economics of Paper ==

			“the adoption of
			paper is dependent on the commercialization, availability and distribution
			of this product. This adoption relies on how people connect in a wide
			network of relationships, and it is part of well-established trading routes
			associated with spices. Cost in this discussion is intentionally relegated to
			secondary considerations.” (58)

			Often said that using paper was for inexpensive books, since it reduced a book’s price — true but not necessarily most important factor in success of paper

			Many varieties of parchment available, including cheaper parchment

			Accounts from 1360s showing paper widely used for a variety of purposes at that time
			* Parchment - 3 shillings per dozen
			* Paper - sold in quires, various prices

			Merchants and spicers buying wrapping papers for sachets

			Diffusion of Italian paper in England (64)

			Paper folded into quires, quinterni (groups of 25 sheets each), then 20 of those making a ream, each bale is 10 reams, or 5k sheets per barrel (67)

			Sizes of papers 71-2; some standardization in 14c

			Data in paper imported into England, 78

			Painted paper, in demand since end of 14c, popular throughout 15c (79)

			Paper and parchment not really competitors — so not just that paper was turned to because it was cheaper (89-90)

			“The early accounts of paper use in England do not, then, speak of a
			cheap material: they speak of a complex relation between two writing
			materials which do not compete with each other but rather fulfil a variety
			of uses. With time, however, a change in the value and perception of paper
			as a writing material is witnessed when the arrival of the printing press
			suddenly creates an unstable commercial market.” (91)

Wtrettien at 22:05, 5 February 2022

2022-02-05T22:05:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:05, 5 February 2022
Line 73:		Line 73:
	own associations and, at the same time, as an instrumental material in		own associations and, at the same time, as an instrumental material in
	defining that culture." (19)		defining that culture." (19)

			== 1 Paper stories ==

			two paper registers, one 1307, one 1309

			early paper is rough, lumpy; quality improves closer to 15c with better stamper heads and water powere

			"It took almost a thousand years for paper to reach the West. Its story has
			been rehearsed on several occasions. It travelled across the Eurasian geopolitical
			axis from China to the Arab world via Samarkand, Baghdad,
			Damascus and Fez, arriving in the Iberian Peninsula in the eleventh century
			and then Italy during the thirteenth century. Making paper was mastered
			by the Arabs and further developed when it reached European countries
			such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany." (27)

			almost all 13c paper, no watermark, probably made on wooden flexible mold; wide laid lines running horizontally

			wire mesh got finer as pulp became thinner; becomes possible with fixed wire mould; "Indeed, it is the
			invention of the fixed mould which, in turn, enabled another key innovation
			in papermaking: the attachment of profiles and/or designs drawn in
			wire to the mesh of the mould." (31)

			watermarked paper probably started in Italy

			"As papermaking developed, letters of the
			alphabet started to appear as watermarks on paper from the last two
			decades of the thirteenth century, followed by papermakers’ names at the
			turn of the fourteenth century. The technique was further developed
			when the representation of objects and animal and human figures made an
			appearance in the course of the fourteenth century." (34)

			"The technique of watermarking was never adopted by Arabic papermakers –
			whether for technological or other reasons – but in similar manner the absence
			of watermarks in Arabic paper came to be used as a means of enforcing a
			fifteenth-century fatwa against the importation ofWestern paper." (34)

			starch-based sizing attracted insects, so gelatine from animals used

			"These advances indicate that thirteenth-century papermakers
			strove to manufacture better-quality paper, not only in response to
			an increased demand for paper, but also in response to a need to supply
			good paper. Local, national and international consumption of paper grew
			in this period because of an expansion in international communication and
			the need to validate acts in writing." (35)

			Paper used on official / state documents and administrations, spreading from China to Islamic East to Europe

			“The Arabic invasion of the
			Iberian peninsula had brought paper and established an important papermaking
			tradition before the thirteenth century. Thus, the subsequent use
			of paper in the chancery of the Christian rulers of those regions to
			communicate with other European royal courts is not surprising, because
			it was already known locally.” (37)

			“The slow spread of paper through diplomatic correspondence
			is key to the way in which medieval people encountered paper and this
			technology got to be known. Epistolary culture during the twelfth and
			thirteenth centuries, however, grew for both public and private correspondence,
			bringing a renewed emphasis on writing and a need for more
			writing material.” (39)

			“In the thirteenth century, then, it is significant
			that, despite the probable absence of an organized paper trade
			import, paper was brought into England to aid record-keeping in business.” (42)

			“The books of customs which record the transactions of the port of
			Bordeaux clearly demonstrate that by the end of the thirteenth century and
			the very beginning of the fourteenth century paper was not difficult to find
			across Europe and it came in large volumes and in two different sizes.” (42)

			“According to Bearman, this practice of binding sheets of
			paper together for record-keeping purposes is a direct influence of thirteenth-century Italian accounting practices.” (46-7)

			Paper as an important item to purchase before travel (47)

			“At this juncture, paper has become an accepted and sought-after
			medium to fulfil the demands of maintaining accurate information and
			effectively building long-lasting archives, essential for future consultation
			and reporting purposes. This is the material context in which fourteenthcentury
			paper book production flourished. By the middle of the fourteenth
			century, contemporary paper is found in copies of romances and religious
			and pedagogical texts in English and Latin. The paper in these books is
			characterized by the thick chainlines I described above, and its watermarks,
			when visible, confirm an Italian origin.” (49)

			Example of a medieval romance copied on paper and covered in parchment with draft of same romance written on it — “The material story of the media which make up this book disrupts modern expectations which understand paper to be for drafting, whilst parchment is for the permanent copy.” (50)

			“This spread of paper across
			Europe correlates sharply with its technological development, which
			enabled the production of better-quality paper, and the speed of its
			commercialization.” (52)

			“Papermaking in France and Germany also began in this century,
			although the commercialization of this paper seems to have been fairly
			local. Italian paper mills were able to take advantage of developed routes
			along which spices, wool and textiles were traded to bring paper to Europe.
			Capitalizing on the technological cluster with leathermaking and textileweaving,
			papermakers, especially from the Marche region, almost took
			over the paper market.” (52)

			Using charms as medical remedies; from 15, “such practices include specific instructions to incorporate paper into the performance of the ritual.” — consume paper like a pill

			“It is intriguing to
			wonder whether paper in itself might have been thought to have special
			restorative properties; the specificity of the instruction suggests so.” (54)

			“These examples show a keen interest in using paper in traditional
			medical practices as an alternative to textiles to treat injuries. It seems that
			some medical customs, which traditionally employed linen cloth and wool
			to medicate and wrap wounds, but also to make potions, could be adapted
			to use paper as a convenient substitute.” (55)

			Used for making escutcheons

			Recommended in recipe for making confections

			Showing how paper is becoming a household object

Wtrettien: Created page with "Da Rold, Orietta. ''Paper in Medieval England: From Pulp to Fictions." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. opening line from Chaucer describing a horse as "paper-whi..."

2022-02-04T17:21:10Z

Created page with "Da Rold, Orietta. ''Paper in Medieval England: From Pulp to Fictions." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. opening line from Chaucer describing a horse as "paper-whi..."

New page

Da Rold, Orietta. ''Paper in Medieval England: From Pulp to Fictions." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

opening line from Chaucer describing a horse as "paper-whit"

“Chaucer reads paper as a precious,
beautiful and luxurious material, rather than a utilitarian, cheap and
worthless surface, creating a surprising contrast for a modern reader who
often expects medieval paper to be a serviceable writing tool.” (1)

"Chaucer evokes majesty with the glittering of the gold, the preciousness
of stones and the brightness of light. Paper sharpens this effect, impressing
upon the reader the idea that Dido is enveloped by light rather than by
people. Chaucer uses paper as a reflective surface which enhances the
beauty of the queen. He demonstrates that he had a good sense of the
optical properties of paper and its ability to reflect light, as well as being
aware of the effect. Of course, parchment reflects light too. It is intriguing
to note, however, that Chaucer’s choice of comparison is white paper, a
rough material. Physics explains that an uneven surface has the effect of a
diffuse reflection; that is, the light hits the object and shines back in lots of
different directions. A diffuse reflection would create the impression that
Chaucer is evoking in these lines." (3)

"The way in which Chaucer imagines and uses paper is very different from
the current scholarly understanding of what paper meant in the medieval
period; indeed, this episode defies modern expectations of what paper ought
to represent. Chaucer invites us to read paper as a sophisticated object, used
here for skilful rhetorical effect, rather than a poor tool for writing." (4)

Interested in Latour, actor-network theory, but instead of agency interested in AFFORDANCE

"Modern readings of medieval sources often argue that medieval society was
sceptical of paper and perceived it as a problematic material." (7)

"In the late medieval period, paper was a new material to
which society needed to adjust. Sometimes it is accepted with scepticism;
on other occasions it is embraced with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, its stable
growth shows that what seem to be two opposite, almost polar, positions
are often united and should invite modern scholars to think differently
about paper. These positions also stress the need to reconsider the role of
those countries, in this case England, which do not invest in papermaking
until the late fifteenth century, but clearly have a role in the consumption
of medieval paper." (7-8)

"Analysing the process by which paper became a cultural touchstone in
the late medieval period requires scholars to shift the focus of their enquiry
from paper as a writing or printing tool to paper as a commodity." (9)

"It is
also important that any inquiry into the technology of paper is decoupled
from post-medieval printing economies." (9)

can't distinguish print and manuscript to understand paper

"It is often argued that the use of paper in the late medieval period
contributed to reducing the cost of books and thus enables the spread of
literacy. But the extent to which this is true requires further analysis.
Does paper fulfil a need or create one?" (10)

"It is, however, a fact that well before the craft of papermaking
was established in these countries, regions and towns, the use of paper itself
paved the way for its manufacture. In France, Italy and the Spanish
peninsula, the importation of paper in response to demand preceded the
foundation of the first paper mill by several years and even after the
establishment of mills the two practices coexisted. It is the demand that
interests me in my investigation." (11)

watermark albums of W. Y. Ottley, keeper of prints and drawings at British Museum -- tracings have never been published and are very little known

"I map out the uses of
paper as a web of interrelated factors and pieces of evidence that explain
the success of this technology in medieval culture. My own approach to
this web of interrelated nodes defines paper as a cultural product with its
own associations and, at the same time, as an instrumental material in
defining that culture." (19)