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Chapter 7 - Materiality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2024

By
Dennis Yi Tenen
Edited by
Adam Hammond
Adam Hammond
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

What is a book, really? In tracing the passage of a single work from the alleys of Lahore to online retail and the author’s bookshelf, this chapter argues against idealism. In transmission, ideational content sediments within specific material contexts. In this way, ideas become objects. Consequently, the same idea can take shape by drastically different forms, affecting the practice of interpretation. The affordances of the object – what can be done with it, how, and where – affect our practices of interpretation.

Keywords

textinterpretationphilologymaterialismliterary theorymediamodeliterary production
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Literature in a Digital Age , pp. 125 - 136
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Materiality
  • Edited by Adam Hammond, University of Toronto
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature in a Digital Age
  • Online publication: 29 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009349567.009
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  • Materiality
  • Edited by Adam Hammond, University of Toronto
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature in a Digital Age
  • Online publication: 29 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009349567.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Materiality
  • Edited by Adam Hammond, University of Toronto
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature in a Digital Age
  • Online publication: 29 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009349567.009
Available formats
×