Review article

Glagolitic Literacy and Glagolitic Democratization of Literacy

Ana Šimić orcid.org/0000-0001-8223-1168 ; Old Church Slavonic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The paper discusses the basic Glagolitic literacy and its social influence before the Gutenberg’s invention, described and interpreted as the process of democratization of literacy in Croatia. The Croatian Glagolitic literature (as a translated literature written in the Croatian Glagolitic script and in language that was understandable to the domestic population) mediated representative texts of the medieval Europe. Having in mind context of the European Middle Ages, the paper presents the social standing of the medieval book together with the determinants of the Glagolitic book, the Glagolites’ education, their guiding ideas and literacy practices they applied. The former includes: 1) writing (transcribing), 2) reading (to oneself as well as publicly) and 3) listening. Some Croatian Glagolitic texts reveal that the implementation of the mentioned literacy practices was encouraged by emphasizing their redeeming aspect. In other words, it had been stated that transcribing and reading some particular texts as well as listening to them ensured blessed earthly life as well as the afterlife. Such an information ensured consistency of the given literacy practices which resulted in remarkable cultural achievements.

Keywords

Glagolitic script; education; history of books; listening; orality

Hrčak ID:

253956

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/253956

Publication date:

1.3.2021.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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