Well, we had three readings this week, and one common thread between all three was this emerging idea, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, of what an author is, does, and what he (or she, as Dr. Maruca points out) should be. From an example of an author (and printer) like Samuel Richardson (1689-1761) to drawing connections between women's impact on the distribution of print to their eventual participation in authorship, to an in-depth look at the creation of the notion of intellectual property, the three readings serve as a commentary on just what authors were during this time period, be they male or female, and their function within the vast web that made up the printing industry. Because, as we saw, authors were not seperate entities from the industry. They were not viewed as the autonomous creatures we think they are. They weren't the geniuses that we worship today. They were, for the most part, everyday people looking to make an impact in their communities and earn a little money and a reputation along the way.
Got some reading to do, will return to post more later...
So, I really liked the movie we watched in class Thursday. Although it wasn't really about copyright regarding printing, it was about copyright in general. I think it raised some good issues about the "author" of a piece of music, and we can relate that to writing. After all, it's all "intellectual property", right? Through our readings we learned that during the 17th & 18th centuries the development of the idea of the author became an issue in the printing industry. Now in our era, although we seem to have the issue of copyright regarding writing pretty much figured out, a new dillema has emerged regarding the issue of authorship in the music industry. And it's all because of those damn computers.
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And new dilemma will continue to emerge as long as we progress. Technology, the internet, and the computer really has made things very difficult to place in black and white categories. There are some major issues regarding intellectual law and copyright laws, being seemingly extreme and for the large part, ineffective.
ReplyDelete"They weren't the geniuses that we worship today. They were, for the most part, everyday people..." I wonder if this was meant to be sarcastic. Someone in their first blog post wrote that most of what is written today is trash. I tend to agree with that statement. But I would extend the time-frame backwards. Most of what has ever been, or will ever be, written is trash. Think of how writing got it's start. "Sold 10 sheep, 1 cow, and 3 large vessels". Accounting. Or "King Elitist was the best ever." Propaganda. When you consider every word ever written (including these!!) - think street signs, fine print, disclaimers, waivers, pulp fiction, wills and testaments, courtroom transcriptions, hate mail, junk mail, scientific gobbledy-gook, religious fanaticism, refrigerator magnets, tourist brochures, menus, nutritional contents, and on and on and on - when you consider all of these things "authored" by someone at some point in time, authors are not geniuses. They are everyday people even now. Always have been. And most of what they author is trash. I'm certainly no exception.
ReplyDeleteDont hate on the computer. Sure, it makes things just a bit more difficult to control, contain, bag, tag, and sell; but that, to me, is the beauty of them. It's a wonderful thing when the powers that be cannot make us do what they want us to do... when WE have control. Computers allow us to do that just a little bit more. Even if they do tend to make things a bit more impersonal, i think they give the chance to make things as bit more intense... give us the upper hand in this war against governmental propoganda!
ReplyDeleteKeith, you inadvertently (I think) make an interesting point if only because you are actually wrong (that is, culturally wrong, but technically correct). We NEVER refer to writers of lists, signs, etc as "authors." Clearly, only some kinds of writing qualifies to allow its writer to be called an "Author." And that distinction carries every kind of cultural bias germane to a given age.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with V. Weatherspoon! Computers have created a means for us to create, explore, manipulate and take control, not to mention a way to maintain relationships and crap load of other stuff. It has made things a little stringent, but it also makes us think more strategically on how to overcome a dilemma or improve and/or improvise.
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