Bodily Traces: Animal Matter, Historical Books and the ‘Lifelessness’ of Writing
Eva Spiegelhofer
Throughout the medieval and early modern periods in Europe, animal-derived materials were routinely used book production, thousands of animals thus left their bodily traces on supposedly human cultural artefacts. Acknowledging presence requires us to rethink how we conceive life relation writing textuality. The whose remains turned into books not only embody meaning but bodies became shape text. This article sets out follow material these rendered invisible centuries ago draw attention tangible animality our literary heritage. By raising consciousness for essential, yet often neglected role other played its creation, my research troubles traditional animal-human nature-culture binaries, calling a more nuanced appreciation animal lives in- outside (human) texts.
Word and Text