Discussion Leader
“The Book as Idea
- Borsuk claims: “As contemporary publishers seek to embrace digital technology; we find ourselves at a moment in which the form and content of a work often bear little relationship to one another” (pg. 112). How does “S” undermine this idea that form, and content have little to do with each other?
- According to Borsuk, “Engaging with the book as an idea brings its material form back into the conversation in ways that can be productive exciting, perplexing and at times problematic” (pg. 113). How do you respond to a book being problematic versus exciting?
- ‘’Horrendous Conditions ……made books into mass produced commodities, [Blake] sought to return to an earlier idea of the book—one steeped in mystery, beauty, and visionary language that bears the marks of its creator’s hand” (pages117-118). What besides content can add value to a book?
- ‘’Illuminated printing allowed Blake to conceive of text and image simultaneously—creating what scholar W.J.T Mitchell has called “an image text,” a design to be both read and looked at —-and to work expressively with their merger. Because he drew his designs directly on the plate, invention and fabrication became inseparable’’ (pages 120-121). How do you think combining text and image on one page of books attracts more readers? How do you think it adds to the content or form of books?
- ‘’As curator, critic, and artist Lucy Lippard put it, the artist’s book of the 1960s was conceived as a portable exhibition…considered by many the easiest way out of the art world and into the heart of a broader audience” (pg. 135). Do you think artist books are more recognized today than in the 1960s, why so?
- Borsuk Claims: “Mallarmé continued Blake’s work to return power to the idea of the book, but rather than taking illuminating manuscript as a model, Mallarmé look to a more widespread medium-contemporary newsprint-to revivify poetry” (pg. 125). Why do some think bookmakers might put more emphasis on the artistry of a book? Do you it is a distraction from the content of the book?
7 Producing a book as an artwork ………was thought of by artists of the 1960s to be “democratic,’’ because it was inexpensive, allowed wider dissemination of the work, and bypassed the gallery system, severing the division between high and low culture such institutions were thought to be represent” (pg. 135). Do you see where book as an artwork is popular based on its culture?
YouTube Videos
William Blake’s Illuminating Printing
(2232) William Blake The Complete Illuminated Works – Occult & Esoteric Book Review – YouTube
Work Cited
Borsuk, Amaranth.” The Book”, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018)
(2232) William Blake The Complete Illuminated Works – Occult & Esoteric Book Review – YouTube
Think-Pair-Share
- https://archive.qzap.org/index.php
- https://issuu.com/poczineproject
- https://asyang.wixsite.com/small-science
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