Response #1 - "Notation and the Art of Reading" by Karl Young

Young makes reference to many examples of notation, but the three that stood out as the most clearly delineated were his historic examples: notations recorded by indigenous Mexicans circa 1500, those in practice in China since the first pictographic representations and those employed in Tudor/Elizabethan England before the advent of standardized English punctuation and spelling.

In the first example, Young mentions Aztec practices in particular, most notably the pictographic nature of their printed word which appeared almost as a mandala and less as a script. He references the use of these works as aids to storytelling, being a physical talisman to the effects of memorized mythos and poetics. One scenario he creates is that of a storyteller placing a book in front of his audience in order to provide them with a physical branding to the words and songs being performed. Widespread bookbinding practices (such as the screenfolding technique), are very interesting because essentially they create books whose structure is malleable, subject to no set order or structure and open to the at-will manipulations of the audience.

Chinese writing is very graphic in origin, with each character (or zi) representing a plethora of thoughts, experiences, personages and impressions and as such having a physical as well as a mental correspondence. As he points out, this is largely irrelevant in today's information-obsessed culture, although this plays a huge role in the recording and performance of poetry. Young also points out the interrelated nature of poetry, painting and music within Chinese culture (incidentally - added to which the practice of playing Chinese go makes up the four virtues), as well as the common use of non-conventional writing materials and sources (such as stone carvings and calligraphic poetics). One kinesthetic aspect of Chinese writing in particular is in the melodious tonal implications of specifics characters in specific environments. In addition to being so graphic, Chinese is very much a verbal language and needs to be spoken to be appreciated and understood. Another example that I particularly enjoyed was of the shifu tattooed over the entirety of his body with poems by Po Chu-i.

Circa-16th century English literature was a mish-mash of spellings, punctuations and meanings. As Young points out, it was common to have more than one spelling of the same word on the same page of text. He also states that the rough material nature of these books added a certain physicality to the reading. Additionally, these works were meant to be consumed, pondering and performed (perhaps as an evening entertainment for the family or at a social gathering). Many of the poets and authors of this time were also clergymen or other members of the educated elite and as such wrote works that were meant to be read or preached. Combined with the highly individualized interpretations of spelling, rhythm and punctuation, this implies that each work would have a different incarnation based on the person reciting the piece and the audience present.

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On a side note, I've been thinking a lot lately about how the use of such a detailed writing system as our alphabet is both a blessing and a curse, in that it simultaneously allows and enforces the preservation of thoughts in a highly literal fashion. As such, it allows for great detail to be captured, but at the same time it seems to bog down literature into minutiae, if that makes any sense. I don't know - it's something I've been realizing for the first time lately and as such it's still kind of an unformed thought.

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And, on another side note, it was interesting to see Karl Young's take on recreating a Chinese style using English poetry, because I have been working on something similar for a while (although mine is in a completely different direction than Young's). It's interesting to see what someone else has been attempting.