Looking at Words
The Iconicity of the Page
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v6i1-3.67Keywords:
Sacred texts, typography, book history, word and imageAbstract
Regardless of their semantic meaning, words exist in and through their material, mediated forms. By extension, sacred texts themselves are material forms and engaged in two primary ways: through the ears and eyes. This article focuses on the visible forms of words that can stir emotional and even sacred responses in the eyes of their beholders. Thus words can be said to function iconically, affecting a mutually engaging form of "religious seeing." The way words appear to their readers will change the reader's interaction, devotion, and interpretation. Examples range from modern popular typography to European Christian print culture to Islamic calligraphy. Weaving through the argument are two key dialectics: the relation of words and images, and the relation of the seen and the unseen.
References
Abend, Lisa. 2009. “The Font War: Ikea Fans Fume over Verdana.” Time, August 28. Online at: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1919127,00.html#ixzz1BnIOieeD, accessed 15 January 2011.
Ali, Wijdan. 1997. Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity. Gainesville: University of Florida Press.
art:21. Art in the Twenty-First Century. 2001. PBS Home Video.
Baker, Nicholson. 2009. “A New Page: Can the Kindle really improve on the book?” The New Yorker, August 3. Online at: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker#ixzz1BnAaU15S accessed 15 January 2011.
Bal, Mieke. 1991. Reading ‘Rembrandt’: Beyond the Word-Image Opposition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bringhurst, Robert. 2005. The Elements of Typographic Style, version 3.1. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks Publishers.
———. and Warren Chappell. 1999. A Short History of the Printed Word. 2nd ed. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks Publishers.
Bryson, Norman. 1993. Word and Image: French Painting of the Ancien Régime. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chartier, Roger. 2006 [1989]. “The Practical Impact of Writing.” The Book History Reader, 2nd ed., edited by David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery, 157–181. London: Routledge.
De Hamel, Christopher. 2001. The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Drucker, Johanna. 1995. The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination. London: Thames and Hudson.
Elkins, James. 2001. The Domain of Images. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Fischer, Steven Roger. 2001. A History of Writing. London: Reaktion Books.
———. 2003. A History of Reading. London: Reaktion Books.
Foucault, Michel. 1970. The Order of Things. Translated by Alan Sheridan. New York: Random House.
Grabar, Oleg. 1992. Mediation of Ornament. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Hustwit, Gary, director. 2007. Helvetica. Veer Production.
Kaminishi, Ikumi. 2006. Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Lings, Martin. 1976. The Quranic Art of Calligraphy and Illumination. London: World of Islam Festival Trust.
Miller, David L. 2008. “Legende-Image: The Word/Image Problem.” In Varieties of Mythic Experience: Essays on Religion, Psyche and Culture, edited by Dennis Patrick Slattery and Glen Slater, 231–247. Einsiedeln: Daimon Verlag.
Mitchell, W.J.T. 1994. Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
———. 2005. What Do Pictures Want? The Lives and Loves of Images. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Morgan, David. 2005. The Sacred Gaze. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. 1987. Islamic Art and Spirituality. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Olmert, Michael. 1992. The Smithsonian Book of Books. Washington, DC: Smithsonian.
Ong, Walter. 1982. Orality and Literacy. London: Routledge.
Plate, S. Brent, ed. 2002. Religion, Art, and Visual Culture: A Cross-Cultural Reader. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Raguin, Virginia Chieffo. 2003. Stained Glass: From Its Origins to the Present. New York: Abrams.
Rawsthorn, Alice. 2008. “Brand Obama, a leader in the image war.” New York Times, 4 April. Online at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/arts/04iht-design7.html, accessed 13 September 2010.
Saenger, Paul. 1997. Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
———. 1999. “Impact of the Early Printed Page on the Reading of the Bible.” In The Bible as Book: The First Printed Editions, edited by Paul Saenger and Kimberly van Kampen, 31–51. London: British Library and Oak Knoll Press.
Shlain, Leonard. 1998. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict between Word and Image. New York: Viking.
Singer-Vine, Jeremy. 2009. “Ikea’s Font as Cheap as its Furniture.” Slate.com, online at http://slatest.slate.com/id/2226581/entry/4 , accessed 2 September 2009.
Stephens, Mitchell. 1998. The Rise of the Image, The Fall of the Word. New York: Oxford University Press.
Suleman, Fahmida. 2007. “Introduction.” In Word of God, Art of Man: The Quran and its Creative Expressions, edited by Fahmida Suleman, 1–26. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Turgut, Ayse. 2007. “Sacred Calligraphy in Contemporary Art.” In Word of God, Art of Man: The Quran and its Creative Expressions, edited by Fahmida Suleman, 219–226. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Watts, James W. 2006. “The Three Dimensions of Scriptures.” Postscripts 2: 135–159.
Wallace, David Foster. 2009. This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Wendland, Ernst R. and J. P. Louw. 1993. Graphic Design and Bible Reading: Exploratory Studies in the Typographical Representation of the Text of Scripture in Translation. Cape Town: Bible Society of South Africa.
Ali, Wijdan. 1997. Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity. Gainesville: University of Florida Press.
art:21. Art in the Twenty-First Century. 2001. PBS Home Video.
Baker, Nicholson. 2009. “A New Page: Can the Kindle really improve on the book?” The New Yorker, August 3. Online at: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker#ixzz1BnAaU15S accessed 15 January 2011.
Bal, Mieke. 1991. Reading ‘Rembrandt’: Beyond the Word-Image Opposition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bringhurst, Robert. 2005. The Elements of Typographic Style, version 3.1. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks Publishers.
———. and Warren Chappell. 1999. A Short History of the Printed Word. 2nd ed. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks Publishers.
Bryson, Norman. 1993. Word and Image: French Painting of the Ancien Régime. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chartier, Roger. 2006 [1989]. “The Practical Impact of Writing.” The Book History Reader, 2nd ed., edited by David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery, 157–181. London: Routledge.
De Hamel, Christopher. 2001. The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Drucker, Johanna. 1995. The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination. London: Thames and Hudson.
Elkins, James. 2001. The Domain of Images. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Fischer, Steven Roger. 2001. A History of Writing. London: Reaktion Books.
———. 2003. A History of Reading. London: Reaktion Books.
Foucault, Michel. 1970. The Order of Things. Translated by Alan Sheridan. New York: Random House.
Grabar, Oleg. 1992. Mediation of Ornament. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Hustwit, Gary, director. 2007. Helvetica. Veer Production.
Kaminishi, Ikumi. 2006. Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Lings, Martin. 1976. The Quranic Art of Calligraphy and Illumination. London: World of Islam Festival Trust.
Miller, David L. 2008. “Legende-Image: The Word/Image Problem.” In Varieties of Mythic Experience: Essays on Religion, Psyche and Culture, edited by Dennis Patrick Slattery and Glen Slater, 231–247. Einsiedeln: Daimon Verlag.
Mitchell, W.J.T. 1994. Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
———. 2005. What Do Pictures Want? The Lives and Loves of Images. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Morgan, David. 2005. The Sacred Gaze. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. 1987. Islamic Art and Spirituality. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Olmert, Michael. 1992. The Smithsonian Book of Books. Washington, DC: Smithsonian.
Ong, Walter. 1982. Orality and Literacy. London: Routledge.
Plate, S. Brent, ed. 2002. Religion, Art, and Visual Culture: A Cross-Cultural Reader. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Raguin, Virginia Chieffo. 2003. Stained Glass: From Its Origins to the Present. New York: Abrams.
Rawsthorn, Alice. 2008. “Brand Obama, a leader in the image war.” New York Times, 4 April. Online at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/arts/04iht-design7.html, accessed 13 September 2010.
Saenger, Paul. 1997. Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
———. 1999. “Impact of the Early Printed Page on the Reading of the Bible.” In The Bible as Book: The First Printed Editions, edited by Paul Saenger and Kimberly van Kampen, 31–51. London: British Library and Oak Knoll Press.
Shlain, Leonard. 1998. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict between Word and Image. New York: Viking.
Singer-Vine, Jeremy. 2009. “Ikea’s Font as Cheap as its Furniture.” Slate.com, online at http://slatest.slate.com/id/2226581/entry/4 , accessed 2 September 2009.
Stephens, Mitchell. 1998. The Rise of the Image, The Fall of the Word. New York: Oxford University Press.
Suleman, Fahmida. 2007. “Introduction.” In Word of God, Art of Man: The Quran and its Creative Expressions, edited by Fahmida Suleman, 1–26. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Turgut, Ayse. 2007. “Sacred Calligraphy in Contemporary Art.” In Word of God, Art of Man: The Quran and its Creative Expressions, edited by Fahmida Suleman, 219–226. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Watts, James W. 2006. “The Three Dimensions of Scriptures.” Postscripts 2: 135–159.
Wallace, David Foster. 2009. This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Wendland, Ernst R. and J. P. Louw. 1993. Graphic Design and Bible Reading: Exploratory Studies in the Typographical Representation of the Text of Scripture in Translation. Cape Town: Bible Society of South Africa.
Published
2012-06-27
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Plate, S. B. (2012). Looking at Words: The Iconicity of the Page. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 6(1-3), 67-82. https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v6i1-3.67
