1. The Western World, in the Midst of Change: From Speaking to Writing
Western Civ
Class 19
October 7, 2015
The Western World, in the Midst of Change:
From Speaking to Writing

2. Writing Emerges and Leads “the run-up” to writing
The West had long-standing roots in orality.
strong deep rhetorical base in the oral arts.
connection of the rhetorical base to the school system.
spread of Greek and eventually Latin and through the Roman Empire.
How to speak effectively was at the center of public life and higher learning.
BUT

3. Writing Emerges and Leads “the run-up” to writing
Speaking with effect became marginalized. The tools were all there. But their uses became less crucial, leading to
The degradation of the “real” influence of speaking.

4. Writing Emerges and Leads “the run-up” to writing
Invasion and fragmentation.
Re-organization of Western society.
The invasions led to a patchwork of small “kingdoms/fiefdoms.”
Overwhelming mixtures of vernaculars.
On the ground, speaking mattered less and less
few understood each other clearly.
Leadership wasn’t done with representative decision-making or orally. It was done with letters via envoys.

5. Writing Emerges and Leads “the run-up”
Leaders were “mini-kings.” Leaders needed to communicate
with force--inside their own fence and
diplomatically across boundaries.
Edicts (internally) and letters (externally) largely take the place of persuasive oral arguments.
Each “place” had its own “monastery/church” that produced the literate class in cahoots with/at the service of the local leader

6. Writing Emerges and Leads
The irony of it all: Although writing emerges as more important than the speaking that it’s based on, illiteracy is rampant.
The West goes through the “Dark Ages,” largely, because only the elite can read and write.
The materials aren’t widely available.
Education is preserved for the few.
The Church dominates and prefers an illiterate flock.

7. Writing Emerges and Leads
Remember rhetoric in Athens: teaching communication for democratic participation to the point that BOTH the rich and the poor wanted it.
In the Middle Ages, only the elite can leverage the dominate forms of effective communication—writing & reading.
The West becomes divided by a new feature. Not just power, or money, or family, or race: Literacy.

8. Access to the means of production
What did they write ON… When?
Parchment until, roughly, 715, and no mass-produced paper until 1400s
It’s estimated that it took approximately 300 sheep (skins) to make enough parchment for one copy of the Bible (e.g., a book)
Makes books VERY expensive
So why bother with wide-spread literacy…

9. As writing emerges, it takes on special power via the work of the Church
Once Christianity gets aligned with leadership, staying in power, doing administrative business, and communicating across groups is important
Though the fiefdoms are divided, the “CHURCH” is (sort of/trying to be) one.
Two “mother-tongues” emerge for the business of bureaucracy: Koine Greek and eventually Latin
This moves literacy even further from commoners (who speak a WIDE variety of vernaculars In which there are virtually NO written texts or education in the early middle ages).

10. As writing emerges, it takes on special power via the work of the Church
Since Christianity is based on Judaism, and Jews are “the people of THE BOOK,” Christianity has to figure out how to develop and elevate the book.
Evangelization is a primary Christian goal
This is pretty unique at the time
This requires a standardized word, at some point.

11. Solving the problem of the book
Although some writings were shared early in the 1st Century, most of the collections (books) were gathered/written late in the first century and finished by the year 150 AD.
By 200, there may have been some commonalities in use.
Latin vulgate commissioned in 383
Councils and Synods in 393, 397, 397, 419

12. On Christian Doctrine Augustine
Written between
Helps “fix” the literary AND social problems

13. On Christian Doctrine Augustine Fixing the Literary Problem
Presents the first linguistic theory of Signs and explains how they work
Establishes that what’s important is what a sign STANDS FOR (more than what it “IS”)
In this case, the New Testament stands for the word of GOD, so is, by definition, great literature and perfect (even if the text appears to be somewhat corrupt)

14. On Christian Doctrine Augustine Fixing the Social Problems
As a former Rhetoric Professor and long time successful debater about theology, Augustine knows that the Church HAS TO USE rhetoric (but they’ve banned it)
By teaching about how to use rhetoric effectively, he teaches how to use the New Testament.

15. On Christian Doctrine Augustine Fixing the Social Problems
teaches the Church how to do theological exegesis (figure out what the holy text means) and to start there when preaching/teaching
then re-introduces Platonic rhetoric
Based on the Phaedrus
START WITH THE TRUTH… then use rhetorical tools
re-introduces the importance of using persuasive rhetoric in the defense of the Truth (Aristotelian rhetoric).

16. Augustine/On Christian Doctrine
Fixed both problems How to elevate the New Testament as great literature and how to teach and preach effectively.
In doing so, re-establishes the classical rhetorical traditions (though stripped down) to the West.
Things stay pretty much this way until
the Renaissance, when full Aristotle and Cicero are recovered from the Arabs/Muslims and the west goes NUTS for classic rhetoric
The Scientific Revolution, when Descartes separates science from logic, sending rhetoric toward a death spiral
The Reformation, when Luther separates many of the Christians from the Catholics and moves toward (a) literal interpretations of the Bible and (b) away from the Catholic education system.

17. On the Sublime A writer we refer to as Longinus.
The first published instance of “literary criticism.”
all previous works guiding criticism were about oral materials. On the Sublime is about doing criticism of writing.

18. On the Sublime
There’s a VERY powerful and useful notion here that changes the Western literate tradition forever.
The written word can do more than communicate (ideas and the like). It can elevate one to other-worldly states (transport the audience)
This re-introduces an almost spiritual aspect into Western logics AND rhetorical embellishments to writing.
Pre-literate Western, and less-literate non-Western oral traditions, knew this, but the West tried to leave it behind with writing.
In the end, it also works for the Catholics as they try to elevate their theology toward mysteries and miracles.

19. Combining Augustine with Longinus
Even without paper, literature now has the chance to evolve into forms that are not merely representational.
We get greater literature as a result
And for a long time, Rhetoric continues to be important

20. Combining Augustine with Longinus
Written literature will become both the glue that holds civilization in the West together and
a principle factor in the socio-cultural divisions that will control the West
Although it takes a while, writing enables the school & university systems to flourish
And eventually leads the West out of illiteracy
And of course, in many ways, our WESTERN CIVILIZATION is based on written literacy.
BUT

21. Combining Augustine with Longinus
BUT
Eventually, the West turns its back on the appreciation of the full understanding of how language works, essentially insisting that “the magic” only be allowed in literature or religion and that “reality” requires, instead, mathematics.