Holy Digital Grail: A Medieval Book on the Internet

Medieval books that survive today have been through a lot, such as singed by fire, mottled by mold, eaten by insects, annotated by readers, cut into fragments, or damaged through well-intentioned preservation efforts. This book tells the story of one such manuscript, an Arthurian romance with textual origins in twelfth-century England, now diffused across the twenty-first century internet. Michelle Warren shows how digital infrastructures change texts and books, even very old ones, and uncovers a practice of tech medievalism that weaves through the history of computing since the mid-twentieth century. This infrastructural approach to book history illuminates how the meaning of literature is made by many people besides canonical authors.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Medieval books that have survived to the present day have endured a remarkable journey. They have been singed by fire, marred by mold, nibbled by insects, annotated by readers, sliced into fragments, or otherwise damaged through well-intentioned preservation efforts. In this captivating book, Michelle Warren delves into the story of one such manuscript—an Arthurian romance with its textual roots in twelfth-century England, now scattered across the vast expanse of the twenty-first-century internet. This remarkable trajectory has been propelled by a succession of technologies, ranging from paper manufacture to printing to computers. Together, these innovations have transformed literary history into a cultural technology deeply indebted to colonial capitalism.

To explore this intricate relationship, Warren employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from media theory, medieval literary studies, and book history. Through her lens, she reveals how digital infrastructures shape and transform texts, even those of ancient origin. In the process, she uncovers a fascinating practice of tech medievalism that has threaded through the history of computing since the mid-twentieth century. Metaphors drawn from King Arthur and the Holy Grail are integral to the technologies that now preserve medieval books on the internet. This infrastructural approach to book history sheds light on the diverse array of individuals who contribute to the meaning-making process of literature, extending beyond canonical authors. Translators, scribes, patrons, readers, collectors, librarians, cataloguers, editors, photographers, software programmers, and countless others play pivotal roles in shaping the literary landscape.

Holy Digital Grail sits at the crossroads of the digital humanities, library sciences, literary history, and book history, offering fresh perspectives on authorship, canon formation, and the very definition of a book. By delving into the intricate interplay between technology, culture, and literature, Warren provides readers with a rich and nuanced understanding of the past, present, and future of the written word. This thought-provoking work invites us to reimagine our relationship with literature and the digital realm, as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of information dissemination and preservation.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503608009