Voices on birchbark : everyday communication in medieval Russia by Schaeken, J. instant download

Voices on birchbark : everyday communication in medieval Russia by Schaeken, J. instant download

1 online resource, In Voices on Birchbark Jos Schaeken explores the major role that writing on birchbark - an ephemeral, even 'throw-away' form of correspondence and administration - played in the vibrant medieval merchant city of Novgorod and other cities in the Russian Northwest. Birchbark literacy was crucial to the organization of Novgorodian society; it was integrated into a huge variety of activities and had a broad social basis; it was used extensively by the laity, by women as well as men, by villagers as well as landlords. Voices on Birchbark is the first book-length study of this unique corpus in English. By examining a representative selection of birchbark texts, Jos Schaeken presents fascinating vignettes of daily medieval life and a holistic picture of the pragmatics of communication in pre-modern societies, Includes bibliographical references and indexes, Print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed, Intro; Contents; Acknowledgements; Preface; Figures; Abbreviations; Notes on Translation, Transliteration, Terminology, and References; Part I: Writing on Birchbark; Chapter 1. Historical and Geographical Context; Chapter 2. Sites and Distribution; Chapter 3. Dating and Periodization; Chapter 4. Writing Technology and Practice; Chapter 5. Users and Literacy; Chapter 6. Intersections between Birchbark Writing and Graffiti; Chapter 7. Language and Communication; Part II: Communication in Daily Life; Chapter 1. Preliminary Remarks; Chapter 2. Commerce and Finance, Chapter 3. Law and AdministrationChapter 4. Estate Management; Chapter 5. Family Life and Household Management; Chapter 6. Learning to Read and Write; Chapter 7. Church, Religion, and Folk Belief; Chapter 8. Witnesses to History; Chapter 9. Non-Slavic on Birchbark; Part III: The Pragmatics of Communication; Chapter 1. Introduction; Chapter 2. The Orality Factor; Chapter 3. The Role of the Messenger; Chapter 4. Communicatively Heterogeneous Letters; Chapter 5. Social…