This book provides a thorough survey and analysis of the emergence and functions of written culture in Rus (covering roughly the modern East Slav lands of European Russia, Ukraine and Belarus). Part I introduces the full range of types of writing: the scripts and languages, the materials, the social and physical contexts, ranging from builders' scratches on bricks through to luxurious parchment manuscripts. Part II presents a series of thematic studies of the 'socio-cultural dynamics' of writing, in order to reveal and explain distinctive features in the Rus assimilation of the technology. The comparative approach means that the book may also serve as a case-study for those with a broader interest either in medieval uses of writing or in the social and cultural history of information technologies. Overall, the impressive scholarship and idiosyncratic wit of this volume commend it to students and specialists in Russian history and literature alike. Awarded the Alec Nove Prize, given by the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies for the best book of 2002 in Russian, Soviet or Post-Soviet studies.
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Part I. The Graphic Environment: 1. The written remains; 2. Scripts and languages; 3. The changing environment; Part II. Functions and Perceptions of Writing: 4. Writing and social organisation; 5. Writing and learning; 6. Writing and pictures; 7. Writing and magic; 8. Afterword: on the social and cultural dynamics of writing.
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Review of the hardback: 'Written with wit and style as well as great erudition, Franklin's book breaks new ground … the virtual tour that Franklin constructs of a Kievan church combines all his gifts as historian, reader, and observer. The result is a spellbinding performance that brings Franklin's own reader as close as possible to reading the world through they eyes of a Kievan.' Medium Aevum
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This is a comprehensive study of the origins and early uses of Russian writing.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780521129022
Publisert
2010-02-04
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
450 gr
Høyde
216 mm
Bredde
140 mm
Dybde
20 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
356

Forfatter

Biographical note

Simon Franklin is a Reader in Slavonic Studies in the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.