tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954124666253028301.post5416039139448975382..comments2023-01-01T07:07:31.427+11:00Comments on Patrick Spedding: Marginal Marks in BooksPatrick Speddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14626381184719917832noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954124666253028301.post-21104667143960859522012-11-28T01:27:03.209+11:002012-11-28T01:27:03.209+11:00Patrick - this list is very useful. I'm workin...Patrick - this list is very useful. I'm working on the history of reading out loud in the eighteenth century - do you know of any examples of marginal marks used to indicate passages identified for reading out?Abigail Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17033188995019948084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954124666253028301.post-19645362812000104342012-07-19T10:35:19.971+10:002012-07-19T10:35:19.971+10:00Thanks David, but you do me too much credit!
As ...Thanks David, but you do me too much credit! <br /><br />As I said in my post, this list is taken from the The Shakespeare Quartos Archive and, having never heard of "gnomic pointing," I didn't notice its absence or the possible conflation.<br /><br />Having looked into it, I see that the term "gnomic pointing" dates back to 1947 (at least) and refers to a meadieval and early modern method used to draw attention to proverbs and sententiae (thus, gnomic).<br /><br />The term "marginal commas" dates back to 1949 (at least) and refers to a method employed by Alexander Pope in his Chaucer and Shakespeare to indicate "some of the most shining passages."<br /><br />I imagine that it is possible, by the period I am interested in (the 18C), that marginal commas might have lost the medieval and early-modern link to proverbs and sententiae, and may simply indicate something note-worthy (as in Pope). <br /><br />(It is even possible that they are indebted, instead, to the running quotes used throughout the 18C, to indicate a quotation and, therefore, something quote-worthy.)<br /><br />I will add "gnomic pointing" my list and will differentiate the two terms. I will also add an entry for "running quotes."Patrick Speddinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14626381184719917832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954124666253028301.post-65333699039462929582012-07-19T08:51:44.082+10:002012-07-19T08:51:44.082+10:00I'd query your use of the term 'marginal c...I'd query your use of the term 'marginal commas' as a substitute for the better known and longer established 'gnomic pointing'.arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11756621345866305412noreply@blogger.com