New Books in Intellectual History cover image

Zrinka Stahuljak, "Fixers: Agency, Translation, and the Early Global History of Literature" (U Chicago Press, 2024)

New Books in Intellectual History

INSIGHT

Fixers: A Paradigm Shift in Understanding Medieval Communication

  • Medieval society was largely oral, communal, and relational, contrasting with modern text-centric views.
  • Concepts like "untranslatability" and "fidelity" reflect colonial biases, emphasizing text ownership over relational communication.
  • Translation in the medieval period served as the primary mode of cultural production and transmission, not inferior to "originals."
  • A shift in focus from textuality to sociality reveals the true dynamics of the medieval world.
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