Guest blogger Cynthia Orr compares ways of reading in her first monthly blog post
Centuries ago it was strange and frightening to see someone read silently. People wondered what was happening to the person who was staring at a book but saying nothing. Were they possessed? Were they all right? This is because the norm until the 10th century was to read aloud. Monasteries weren’t the quiet places we imagine. The monks were all mumbling to themselves!
We don’t think about it much, but styles of reading have changed over time--even on paper. Scrolls were one format, and then the book (or codex) was invented. Moveable type made reading even easier. And now we can read on screens and listen to audiobooks. But is the experience the same?
More...