mechanical reproduction
On Tuesday, November 16th, we'll discuss William Hogarth and Walter Benjamin.
Histories of Writing, Reading, and Publishing
This is the course website for "Histories of Writing, Reading, and Publishing," a course taught by Dr. Williams in Fall 2004 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Links
- Syllabus (PDF)
- Online Discussion Schedule
- Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing
- commerce
- commerce of everyday life
- john feather on copyright
- nice video
- john milton on regulation of the press
- assignments
- "from censorship to copyright"
- pamela
- pamela
- pamela
3 Comments:
Lisa's question:
If art has aesthetic elements as well as functional elements, could Hogarth's engravings substitute for the behavioral manuals such as The Tatler or The Spectator?
How does Hogarth's representational art meld the traditional forms of discourse, as defined by Olson, with the new print culture being experienced in 17th century England?
Samir's Response:
Simply by what Hogarth engraves, I’m not sure that they alone could serve as substitutes for either The Tatler or the The Spectator. Many of these visions depict complex scenes with an abundance of deeper meanings that may not be as explicit to the viewer as the written word. In that respect, the trouble lies in the translation. However, if some sort of expert or some deep, written interpretation is applied alongside these renderings, then I feel that these engravings could in fact, surpass those manuals on instruction. I believe it because unlike those writings, these pictures depict both action and consequence, which could serve to scare the psyche. Horrors are shown and the chronological downfall is mapped out so graphically in a way that may serve for more moral resonance than simply the written word.
On the second question, I believe Hogarth’s art is important, because like matters of the day, it is trying to be an instructive force for those needing some sort of guidance. Plus, it showed the “good” alongside the “bad” allowing viewers to think and form their own judgments. However, both art and print are alike as they both allowed those same viewers to be individually subjective in what they beheld. For example, some could have interpreted Hogarth’s engravings as an outlet for the engraver’s fascination with lewd and lascivious acts coupled with some sort of repressed sexual fascination. Each work may tell a different tale than what may seem to be obvious.
To respond to Lisa’s question about the form and function of Hogarth’s art, I think he creates social commentary and satire through illustrations and engravings, just as Addison and Steele use written language in printed periodicals to do the same. I think all three observers aim to amuse as well as to instruct; certainly they often are humorous, whether they mock dueling or the inanity of a church service. Humor actually makes their cultural criticism more acceptable. In their time as in our own, heavy-handed didacticism often is less effective than inspiring people to laugh at their own foibles.
If Addison and Steele want to guide readers in what they deem proper eighteenth-century fashion and taste, it appears that Hogarth intends to show the effects of certain values and behaviors. For example, his series on two social “types’—the Rake and the Harlot—reverses Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress to show the gradual disintegration and ultimate degradation that may be the fate of the young man-about-town and a once-young innocent girl.
This question also makes me think about Blake’s melding of form and function. Relying on poetry and illustration to depict human innocence, experience, joys, and travails, he also chastises man for his failure to fulfill his potential and responsibilities. Blake’s poems about chimney sweeps, for instance, anticipate Dickens and other nineteenth-century artists who will personify the suffering created by urban life and the industrial revolution.
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