Tag: book

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Cut it short

The “Revue des sciences humaines” (Demanze and Gleizes, Nr. 355, 2024 pp. 7-16) provides an interesting reflection on the widespread practice to find (new) ways to cut long stories or insights short. Short by itself, this introduction to a longer special issue on the topic “Faire court” stresses 4 elements of the contemporary impetus to cut it short:
(1) The creative process may be subject to condensation of content, similar to the process of a “reduction” in the culinary vocabulary. The speed of creativity, inspiration, freedom of expression are exemplified by the twitterization of and aphorisms in literature. Roland Barthes, in his analysis of the “haiku”, raises awareness to the different associations of the short text forms in different societies.
(2) The observed shortening of time spans of attention and the competition and economy of attention have raised the stakes for longer formats and explain to a large extent the success of shorts in the digital age.
(3) The short format works to increase the intensity of the literary experience.
(4) In deconstructing the associations of long formats as “monumental” versus short formats as ephemeral, the “cut it short“ tendency serves to “demonumentalize” the big shots of literature, science and the humanities. Well, about time to cut it short, “hic et nunc”, here and now!

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Art from India

Indian music, art and performances have had a difficult time in traditional western cultures. Based on the historical collections and donations in the BNF, this WEIRD bias is challenged a bit. The focus on performances and art from India of centuries old traditions of high standards could have been a major source of inspiration to wider audiences already. The narrative language of for example dance as Bharatanatyam is a sophisticated ritual of expression. It appears to us like a spiritual performance which reaches our emotions much like our modern ways of expressing and performing. It seems amazing how the western world has omitted looking and listening to other continents. 

Of course, archers have played an important role in Indian culture as well. Such depictions have been common across cultures in previous times. These images can reflect the shared human heritage and this with a global perspective on art history. Flora Willson (2024 in Die Musikforschung) refers to this Indian cultural heritage in her book review and why Italian Opera never really became popular in India. 

(Image BNF, Paris Richelieu in Rotonde 2025).

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HTML Mindset

The hypertext markup language (HTML) allows us to navigate on the internet. No matter which Browser you use on your device, it interprets the HTML-text for you in a specific way. This means: HTML defines headings, normal text, placeholders for images, actionable buttons and referrals to more text, images, or videos. A good HTML enabled textbook for pupils, students or any lifelong learner, for example, will embed easily images, sound recordings or video demonstrations in the e-book. This additionally embedded content asks for a different mindset for content creators: the HTML mindset.
Just like in most learning environments, learners proceed with different speed and interests. HTML allows for additional options to dig deeper into a subject, return to a previous stage, lead on from where you left off before, jump to some other content or listen to a translated paragraph.
Due to the bringing together of content from different technical formats, the HTML mindset has an interdisciplinary touch to it. Blending text and image is our usual way to process information at most exhibitions. In Hypertexts we are “walking” along our own chosen track through the knowledge space or content archive. For web creators, therefore, it is common to use so-called “content management systems” to arrange structure and present content.
The learning of HTML is enhanced through many learning tools (w3schools.com). This helps you to get into the HTML mindset of content creation and a better grip on the interlinked world. (Image: extract of HTML code of this blog post on www.schoemann.org).

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Covid Literature

In 2025 it about time to evaluate the medium term impact of the Covid-19 crisis in Europe and world. The various lockdowns caused unexpected “spare time” or time in isolation. Some otherwise very busy persons embarked on literary projects during these months. Most of the outcomes have now been published. Most authors would not label their writings as “Covid literature”, since they do not deal with the Covid pandemic in any sense. However, only due to the additional time resources, and maybe writing as a creative coping mechanism, some persons became and dared to become authors eventually.
For some isolation from the usual work context was a lonesome experience, others realized literary projects. Camille Paulhan (edition Sombres Torrents) for example used freed up time to write “Couper à travers les ronces” published in 2021. Her short stories, like narrative clips, range from introspection to memorable encounters with art works and artists. As an expert on “perishable art” Camille Paulhan is particularly sensitive to the “fleeting moments” of encounters and maybe of life itself. The Covid-pandemic has certainly reminded us on the increased risks to our existence during a pandemic. The literature originating during these months and years might reveal specific virtues only ex post.
You might still be able to buy a copy at the publisher. The bookshop and gallery Yvon Lambert (online retrieved on 2025-1-20) says sold out, but shows several pages online. Although books may become a perishable product, some copies will survive due to the efforts of fans of perishable art and moments.

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Modular books

Online publishing offers much more flexible forms of publishing. Even traditional book formats can be organized in new ways. Instead of a fixed sequence of chapters, paragraphs or blog entries, the sequence becomes a matter of choice. Either in the author’s hand or in the hands of readers, the cruising through content allows very individual experiences of what still is the same content. Just as learning, which is ultimately an individualized process, the reading or scrolling through content creates singular experiences with the content. Several choices of more in depth reading should keep the reader interesting to dig further along the personal knowledge trajectory according to own prior interests.
The motivation of a person to read depends on the reader’s own interests and current situation or context. The “state of mind” constitutes the willingness to stop at certain pages or entries. The search function, keywords or tags allow to deviate from an author’s intended sequence of chapters. An online textbook has easy entry and exit points. They are not predetermined. The risk, however, is that the reader stops at a point without loose ends, somehow in expectation of a conclusion of a succinct summary. That’s probably the easiest job for any AI system, based on a series of entries.
However, the joy of the journey through knowledge gets lost through the use of AI as a short cut. Just like physical exercise rewards you with additional strength, mental exercise keeps us healthy.
Traditional predefined sequences – like books, e-books or flip-books are also available on this webpage either through the post archive or the continuously growing books, e-books or flip-books page.

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Science and Fiction

We associate with science and fiction the extrapolation of scientific trends into some futuristic settings. The most striking examples of science fiction in novels or video use some scientific findings (dinosaurs, genetic engineering) and project this knowledge into another fictional setting. The usual personal relationships follow rather predictable plots of romance, deception, violence or war.
The novel “Wellness” (Hill 2024) is also a kind of science fiction as it is based on social science evidence and builds its fictional plot firmly embedded into the social and psychological research. The attachment of references (and defending the print of those in translation) underlines the commitment to write a new type of “social science fiction”.
In this innovative style the scientific basis of psychology and sociology is then extrapolated into a fictional arrangement. Research on subjective well-being with the U-shaped form over the life course and the extrapolation of the placebo effect, which is instrumentalized for a business, derive from key topics in the social sciences. In fact, the novel and the background scientific literature in the bibliography could well figure in a social science course at university entry level. These readings constitute a 360-degree-view on personal development and social structures. Of course, social sciences move on and add new evidence on an almost daily basis, but the selection and arrangement of the characters create an innovative social science fiction, without some unrealistic technological extrapolation.
It strangely feels like we are already part of this social science fiction (compare “Klara and the sun” by Ishiguro) as politicians advocate and campaign with placebo topics in elections and project us into some more happy past or future.
The social science fiction of Nathan Hill resembles for me the great utopian novel by George Orwell “1984” published in 1948. A title “2032” instead of “Wellness” could have worked quite well, as the first edition of Nathan Hill’s social science fiction was published already in 2023. (Image: Extract of: Lo Spagnolo, 1665-1747, Hecuba makes Polymnestor blind, MRBAB).

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Book Annotation

For most people book annotations are considered a nuisance. However, most pupils or students mark their so-called textbooks, which contain many images nowadays anyway. A good mindmap, summary of text, highlighting or critical comments may be part of their day-to-day working with a book. Some editors facilitate this using broad margins and more space between lines. Working through a text can take multiple forms and books have allowed over centuries different kinds of their usage.
There is yet another underexplored usage of books. On printed volumes annotations of previous readers may serve as a guide to a script of places, thoughts or material of particular importance. I have always found annotated copies of other readers interesting in their own right. Reading an annotated copy felt like reading another person’s mind, thought or learning process.
A modern view of books as a tool of communication might extend this perspective to study annotations of several readers on the same copy. Just like we comment today in word processing on texts from collaborators or students. Books are a means of communicating with other people or machines (AI) usually with the aim of spreading ideas, content, horror or pleasure.
Therefore, I am always happy to find annotated versions of a book, especially of prominent authors. It sometimes feels like reading a “partition”, a transcript of music which contains the comments or fingering of the reader or the performing musician. The BNF has a lot of such special copies in its archives, usually found in the donations of persons or prominent authors and their families to the archives. This can be put together to make an interesting exhibition of the process of thinking and writing and of special treasures – annotated books.
Image Bibliothèque nationale de France BNF, collection, “Annotations by Jean Racine on Homer “Ilias“.

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Book Value

What is the value of a book? For the author of a book each book s/he has written or sweated the value of the accomplishment is pretty high. From the publisher’s perspective a book is an investment and sometimes a very risky one. The book store makes choices and takes the risk to devote time and effort to select the bestselling books or the best one suited to the local or passing audiences. Next in line are librarians who either stock everything published in a specific language or country (legal deposit) or select from the offer according to perceived interests of their subscribers. On the way to their audience many mistakes may occur. Books miss their targets or librarians go wild in their efforts to guard or discard books. In any case, many books do not find their audience. Some sit on shelves for years and will never be touched by anybody. Other ones pass from one hand to the other rapidly with long waiting lists.
Even if many conservationists don’t like it, it is the use of books that honors books and authors. Pocket books play a specific role in this link of readers and writer. Use rather than conservation, is the prime role of these lighter versions of books. They also have to endure heavy weather, scratches and folding of persons focused on content rather than precious form.
Last but not least in line comes the market for recycled books. Re-use of read or unread books has increased over years and some readers are happy to discover a discarded book from a previous owner (public or private). The value of a book lies in most cases in the eye of the reader. This then makes it an object of competitive marketing and continuous auctioneering.
(Image: pocket books at display of Popular heritage Lost and Found at the Royal library of Belgium 2024.

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Virtual author

« La Mort de l’auteur « . In a radical sense Roland Barthes was the first to proclaim the death of author as the sole master or mastermind of a text or speech. In fact there are many more on whose direct or indirect contributions a text is based on. However, biographical accounts of an author can only enlighten some (minor) aspects of the influences on the author and the final version of a text, (l’écriture), and the reader (lecteur). In « Le degre zero » the analysis of the different styles of Flaubert and Proust are extolled ( p. 131-139). Flaubert is characterized as the author with infinite corrections on the same texts and sources. It appears today as an endless loop of an algorithm where the stopping rule is not properly defined or implemented. Much in line with the « tabula gratulatoria » of Barthes (p. 279 of Fragments…, see image below) some AI systems return fake versions of a bibliography some readers will rely on. 

In the 21st century l’écriture has become almost inexistant without the technical support of machines, but most of all artificial intelligence. The author is dead, long live the virtual author. The assistance of spelling, grammar and style editing from software programs has widened the spectrum of coauthoring. Editors take more influence through pushing marketing potentials of authors and their writings. Based on previous manuscripts and publications it is possible to produce hallucinations of an author whereby only the author might be able to identify the virtual authorship. At best AI generates first drafts, but similar to the linguist of Barthes, AI is likely to become another brother or sister of l’ecrivain (p. 139). 

The thrust of Barthes is to highlight that there is more to a text than just the version at hand. In fact there are texts in a text or multiple versions or layers of a text. « L’enjeu de l’analyse structurale n’est pas la vérité du texte mais son pluriel » (1972, par ou commencer p.148). In conclusion, almost 50 years after the death of the author we currently witness the miraculous rebirth of the virtual author as the original deus ex machina which we always feared. Don’t worry it’s just another sibling of the original authors.

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Parallel Universe

Sometimes, it might well be before during or after presidential elections, you feel like living in a parallel universe. Especially after the U.S. presidential election many people beyond the U.S. have the impression that millions of people have rather strange views of how our living on earth could be worthwhile for all, rather than a few. In a crude and rude election campaign many people in the U.S. must have been alienated from what they imagine a peaceful living together in a country or on our planet. Faced with the brutal language it is soothing and comforting to read books again. Already in 2023 adult fiction has outperformed on the book market in the U.S. “Romantasy” and narrative non-fiction (are the new bestsellers beyond travel books, cooking, children books and comics according to circana.com.
Uncertainty, complexity and plurality, apparently, have destabilised many persons to the extent that foundation texts of religions, predominantly the bible, have become bestsellers again with more than 14 million book sales in the U.S. in 2023 and up to November in 2024. Printed copies as well as specialised editions for children go to new first time readers and buyers as well as replacing older copies. The need to find simplifying answers to basic questions of humanity is on the rise again.
Some persons might wish to find the existence of a parallel universe in studying the bible, others just a retreat from the horrors of daily news on TV and social media, we all consume more than ever before. We are no longer surprised to find the first church in Switzerland, which offers an AI in church which listens and answers to your confessions. Bible apps offer detailed search functions and reading aloud in case you prefer listening.
There are even unauthorised historical translations of the bible on the market in antiques book shops, which achieve exceptional prices.
Of universes, there seem to be many, overlapping and in parallel.
(Image: Reading Magritte on surrealism)