Malakias: Oral Tradition and Digital Technologies

Some time ago, I found a lecture about the “Gutenberg Parenthesis” supporting the hypothesis that printed books have been just an interlude. I sincerely found the concept interesting and challenging, though not so really provocative. It may be pretty immediate to agree on the dichotomy between the "enclosure" (as the lecturer liked to say) of the printed press and the openness on the fuzzy internet.

It was really strange that the lecturer, being totally fascinated by Shakespeare, did not mention the “commedia dell' arte” (or "comedy of craft"). There, the actors used to act on a “canovaccio”, an outline of the sketch to be interpreted, improvising and creating the show according to the public reactions and to the circumstances. This early form of theater found its maximum expression at the beginning of the supposed Gutenberg Parenthesis and I suppose that the advent of such parenthesis led to something similar to what happened for Shakespeare.

Some days ago, I heard speaking about a new law called SOPA. This made me reminding that lecture and, at the same time, the burning of the library in the movie “The name of the Rose”. In particular, I continously retrieved the image of William of Barsherville aiming to save as many books as possible having moments of pure madness. In the period that history might had to take place, the Gutenberg Parenthesis had not started yet. The abbey would had to be one of the main center of wisdom of the time (William accepted to solve the mistery only because he would have had the opportunity to visit that library ). But finally, the library was destroyed by the “enclosure” of a Malakia (with an impressive reference to the Greek term), the guardian of the library, completely subjected to those people devoted to shape his thoughts. The example of Malakia should had be the medieval counter-example of what the lecturer states about the “mindwork” and the media technology being in a continuous, double-way positive feedback.

So, a final question remains without answering. Are we sure that a new Malakia will not bring again such "enclosure" into the today internet and media technology?


References:
- "The Gutenberg Parenthesis: Oral Tradition and Digital Technologies", http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/77
- "Commedia dell' arte", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell'arte
- "Il viaggio di Capitan Fracassa", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Fracassa%27s_Journey
- "Il nome della Rosa", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose