Nicholas Howe’s quote by Brian Stock, “What was essential for a textual community, whether large or small, was simply a text, and interpreter, and a public. The text did not have to be written; oral record, memory, and reperformance sufficed,” brought to mind poet bard Terry Wooten, who I listened to at the MCTE conference last year (59). Wooten stated that he had 583 poems memorized, not to mention numerous stories. He does this in part because he has some disabilities that make it difficult to read smoothly in front of an audience. Wooten’s ability to memorize and recite literature out loud would garner him much praise and high status in Caedmon’s or Alfred’s day.
In reference to Caedmon’s and Alfred’s day/ lifetime, both of these men lived during a time when very few people could read and write. Neither of these forms of literacy was considered pertinent to the stability of a community because they lived in an oral culture. Howe writes, “In an oral culture, to give counsel is of necessity to speak and thereby to create community” (63, 64). While others learned to read and write Caedmon found stature in his community because he could mentally rewrite and interpret text that was read out loud. Alfred was a king and could read and speak two languages but had someone else do his writing for him. I found it interesting that Caedmon did not consider learning to read and write, nor did King Alfred take up the pen. Caedmon had already stepped past the restrictive boundaries of societal norms by reconfiguring and interpreting verbal texts, and Alfred as king was intent on making sure his entire kingdom had the opportunity to listen to text. According to written records both of these men obviously were intelligent, so why not take it one step further and learn to write, and for Caedmon read as well? Maybe they were afraid they would lose their community.
We discussed in one of my classes that the basic definition of literacy is having the ability to read and write. We also discussed how they did not always go hand in hand. With that said, I still wasn’t prepared to read how one had the ability to read a text, interpret a text, but not write a text, nor feel compelled to learn to write. It is hard for me to step out of what I am now and am used to and look at a different society objectively.