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Commendatory Letters
Scott Billingsley HIST 647 Spring 1999 Week 4: Medieval Europe
James O'Toole, "'Commendatory Letters': An Archival Reading of the
Venerable Bede," The American Archivist 61 (Fall 1998): 266-286.
Abstract: "This essay explores the role of writing, records, and
documents as depicted in the [Venerable Bede's] Ecclesiastical History of
the English People. . . . Bede's purpose was to narrate the early history
of Christianity in Britain, but he also made numerous references to writing
and the role of documents in human affairs." Bede wrote Ecclesiastical
History when writing was relatively new in Britain, and he provides insight
into "the uses of literacy and documentation, the shifting dynamics
among different forms of communication, and the larger cultural meanings
in records beyond the information they contain. A study of these forces
at work in Bede's time give contemporary archivists a perspective on the
revolutionary changes in the technology and the uses of records in our own
age." (266) Bede's Life and Work
- lived the uneventful life of a scholarly monk--copied ancient texts
from the Bible and church fathers--wrote commentaries on the Bible and
commentaries on commentaries; books of sermons; hymns and poems
- greatest achievement was the "systematizing the conflicting methods
for establishing chronology into the custom of dating history from the
birt of Christ, the basis for the current usage of the Common Era"
(269)
- remembered as a historian--wrote recent history using mainly monastic
document for sources--purpose for writing history was not just for information
but for edification (learn from the past)
The Role of Writing and Records
- literacy and orality coexisted in Bede's day--the spoken word was still
important for Bede's audience--some people read stories but a significant
number still had to hear them--people continued to use ancient techniques
of memorizing long narratives to pass information on to others--some official
written documents were read aloud to provide authenticity--orality and
literacy functioned together and complemented each other
- advantages and practical uses of written forms of communication: information
remained stable and durable over time (didn't have to rely on failing memories,
misinterpretation, etc.)--effective and efficient method for gathering
and disseminating information (book learning would replace oral learning
for some people)--means of communicating over long distances--equal access
to information by various social classes--bureaucracies used writing to
confirm authority and provide authenticity to people and documents (literacy
valued as an important quality to have)--writing used as source material
for writing history
- disadvantages of writing: eventually, people expected written work
to be precise but it was still acceptable for Bede to paraphrase a long
text
- reasons Bede reproduced existing texts: to show his devotion to church
fathers--reproducing texts multiplied number of copies and further ensured
their preservation--provided authority for his account of history (relatively
new idea)
- Bede and his contemporaries believed writing had magical and mystical
powers (someone suffering from poison could be cured by drinking water
sprinkled with manuscript shavings)
Bede and Present-Day Archivists
- transition from oral to written culture was difficult for Bede and
his contemporaries--different forms of literacy (practical: simple ability
to read and write; cultural: producing and circulating literature; literacy
in Greek, Latin, vernacular; ability to sign one's name as opposed to more
complicated types of writing)--orality still very important
- modern changes in literacy also difficult--computer literacy (playing
video games; word processing; database functions; programming; hacking)--visual
literacy (still pictures; television; movies; digital pictures)--e-mail
provides new challenges (written communication but near instantaneous reply;
less formal than letters; similar to phone conversation)--electronic records
might be written, oral, or combination of both--"What archivists do
with such stuff . . . will surely depend in part on what we think it is
in the first place." (283-4)
- archivists must determine how information is used and how its uses
change--endless administrative uses--judicial proceedings--authentication
and confirmation of documents (signatures and seals)
- forms of information constantly changing--handwritten on paper--typewritten--microform--audio
and video--electronic and digital--mystical and magical elements of modern
technology scare techno-phobes
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