CLST3713 - Papyrus to Pixels: the history of the book from the ancient world to today

How is it that we in the 21st century are able to read the philosophy of Plato, the Odyssey of Homer, or histories of Caesar? What technological, economic, and social processes made this possible? How did papyrus, parchment, printing, and paper all pave the way to the e-book? What can the physical remains of the words of the past tell us about culture, memory, and interpretation? This course teaches undergraduate students the history of the book by focusing on the material transmission of literature from the ancient Mediterranean (areas occupied by modern Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Algeria, and Italy, among others) to the present day. Readings will include both excerpts of ancient literature (in English translation) and contemporary scholarship. Students will learn how literature was produced in antiquity, how publication has changed over time, and how reading practices have developed in tandem with the changes in format from papyrus to pixels.