W1 Writer's Notebooks - Brief Survey
- Mat Wenzel
- Aug 26, 2018
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2018
In class we divided up responsibility for reading and leading discussion on these texts. Please add your comment about your assigned text below.
try this one if the Harvard site still isn't working http://www.toasted-cheese.com/absolute-blank/12-11/
DaVinci's Notebooks http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Arundel_MS_263
Reporter's Notebooks https://www.cjr.org/first_person/journalism-notebooks.php
I was not here the first day so I will just do the one I found the most interesting:
Da Vinci's Notebook:
Even though it was fairly lengthy and written in another language, his dedication to the notebook is unlike anything I had seen since it is around 500 pages. In addition, it incorporates diagrams and sketches of things and is written backwards, almost as if it is him wanting to let other people know that it is for him only, since it was catered to him. However, it also did not look like it was a rough draft and seemed as if everything is all well thought out and planned. It seemed to be an outlet for him in…
I think this is the first reading assignment I've ever had where the text was written in a foreign language. It made me really think about what else comprises a reading rather than just the text itself--the structure, any diagrams or photographs, the time period in which it was written, what we know about the author of the script. Flipping through his notebook felt almost unreal, considering the fact that he is a world renowned scientist and mathematician, and here I am looking through his personal notebook. His drawings were interesting and made me wonder what exactly he was investigating at that point in time. We take our maths and geometry for granted, since it's been here since before we…
I don't remember which text I was assigned so here are my brief ideas on all three:
Keeping a Commonplace Book
Prior to this reading, I had never heard of a “commonplace book.” I knew of journals and diaries, and I learned of notebooks from Jane Didion. However, this concept of a commonplace book was one I was entirely unfamiliar with. Of all these types of note keeping, however, a commonplace book seems like the one I am most likely to actually keep. It’s the kind of thing that is very quick and convenient, unlike a journal or diary. You can simply jot down a lyric or a word, without needing to dedicate time to expounding on your thoughts surrounding…
Reporter's Notebook:
This article is the tale of a newborn journalist, who began this journey on a whim. A desire for more is what kick started the author's new and satisfying career. They threw care aside and took a leap of faith in order to pursue being a reporter. Inferring using the author's hindsight, being a reporter was meant to be, even if they took the long route to getting there. The reporter's notebook is portrayed as an invaluable and empowering tool. It helps a reporter get to the point and reveal the truth (or at least the truth told to them).
Common place notebook: I particularly enjoyed how the commonplace notebook could serve for whatever purpose the author felt necessary. Not having a confined definition of purpose helps to prevent the constricting of ideas, too. As our world evolves and technology becomes a more prominent part of our daily lives, it is interesting to observe how many people still pursue a hand written notebook even though there are such easier forms to keep a similar collect of thoughts. But commonplace notebooks are meant for more than keeping thoughts; I feel they are a place for venting without having to tell anyone your thoughts at all.