On classical writers and silent reading, one obvious thing that comes to
mind is Plutarch's relation, in the life of Marcus Brutus, of Caesar's
receipt in the Senate of a letter from Servilia. Catiline's conspiracy was
afoot, and Cato, who was standing next to Caesar, believed that the letter
might contain secret instructions. In fact, the case was otherwise:
It is said also that when the great conspiracy of Catiline, which came
near overthrowing the city, had come to the ears of the senate, Cato and
Caesar, who were of different opinions about the matter, were standing
side by side, and just then a little note was handed to Caesar from
outside, which he read quietly. But Cato cried out that Caesar was
outrageously receiving letters of instruction from the enemy.
At this, a great tumult arose, and Caesar gave the missive, just as it
was, to Cato. Cato found, when he read it, that it was a wanton bit of
writing from his sister Servilia, and throwing it to Caesar with the words
"Take it, thou sot," turned again to the business under discussion.
Plutarch's adverb, here translated as 'quietly', is /siope/, literally 'in
silence'.
Despite the scholarship, it seems hard for me to imagine that people have
not always read things in silence. Children learn this technique so easily
and often spontaneously.
andrew
Andrew Zurcher
Queens' College
Cambridge CB3 9ET
United Kingdom
+44 1223 335 572
hast hast post hast for lyfe
|