Getting to alter my old French book was exciting for multiple reasons. When I first started college I thought it would be impressive and cool to be trilingual but as I actually started in the actual class I soon had to make a decision between passing or failing my first semester at Bryant. I decided that taking a language would require too much time, which at the time I was not convinced I had. Luckily for me, I started my first semester at college with only 4 courses, and strangely enough I get to finish my college career with 4 courses as well. Unluckily for me, I’ve been now stuck with this textbook for four years with no hope of ever selling it. Thus why I thought this opportunity to alter a book was the perfect way to utilize my never used French 105 textbook.
Another reason of why I choose to alter a textbook was because it’s something out of the norm. Who else gets to say that as part of homework they got to alter another class’s textbook? I like being able to break the rules of society in the aspect that I get to use a textbook for another reason that is not reading, reading and reading. While altering my book I learned that it is ok to break out of the socially accepted norms. Having picked a textbook meant that I had many pages to work with without really knowing what I wanted to do to them.
With anything in life, I like to try new things and then decide whether it is something that I will do again or not. So I did just that, I started alerting my book in small ways and then taking on entire pages. This project allowed me to understand that one needs to think outside the book in order to create something new. I never would have thought to sewn in my name on a textbook page, let alone that it would actually work.
Same with when altering my book, the people who created paper had to think outside the box in order to create something new and durable. It’s hard to imagine our
day to day lives now without the use of paper as we use it daily. We use paper at our houses, job, and school, literally everywhere. It’s interesting to see how the invention of a single sheet of paper later on developed into gathering them and creating books.
One thing I learned about paper is that it was originally made out of rags. The process was extensive and precise in order to get good quality paper. One of the most important ingredients, apart from the rags themselves, was the water. Yes, water was easily accessible but in order to produce paper, it was pure water what was needed. This forced communities to think of ways to reach water that was limpid and pure.
Throughout the years individuals tried to think of new ways to make paper, how to make it more accessible, and how to expand the papermaking industry due to the lack of raw materials. Thus why I learned that the papermaking industry was always conditional on the supply of raw materials no matter how high the demand was. When the art of book making made its debut it was clear that the contact between the papermaking industry and the book trade was dependent of each other.
I was also able to learn about the list of items that have been used in the past in order to create paper. I knew about some such like: stones, woven cloths, flattened metal sheets and peeled tree bark. But in return, I had never thought about animal skins, dried animal bones and seashells as writing surfaces.
It was interesting to learn that the first Chinese word used for paper was chih because it has no relation to the English word “paper”. But it now makes sense that paper was named that since the word is derived from the word “papyrus”, which was used around Egypt for a long time as a writing surface. It was also impressive to know that although different ways of making paper were created across the world the
fundamentals of it stayed the same all throughout. The use of clean water, cellulose fiber and screen mold was highly important in the making of paper. It all comes down to this quote from a professor from the Kunming Institute of Botany; Guan Kaiyun said “In theory, any plant can be used for making paper, but the difference is the quality and the quantity of the fibers”. I enjoyed this quoted because it all comes down to the idea that anything is possible if one just thinks outside the box, just like with paper making and altering books.
I really like how Ana altered a book that previously had a negative connotation for her. I rent all of my book or I would have done the same thing! I agree that learning about the origins of paper and bookmaking were extremely useful tools for completing this project. I think that Ana’s use of a quote from a professor from the Kunming Institute of Botany was a very profound way to connect the assignment with the historical background behind it. I really like how she was able to add things she likes, such as clothes, to the book that she dislikes so much. The use of bright colors and the drawing that looks like a family tree livens up the book and tells a story at the same time. I agree that the origins of paper are puzzling. I imagine that seashells and animal skins did not allow someone to write on them as easily as our paper today. We absolutely take for granted the accessibility of paper and the ease of using it, almost as if we had an unlimited supply. If we are taking notes for class and write the wrong thing, we are prone to crumpling up the piece of paper and simply getting a new one. In the time period that Hunter and Basbanes are writing about, this was most likely unheard of since it took so much time, effort, and limited raw materials to create paper. I found it very interesting that even today we are not completely aware of the origins of printing, “the production of the parent of all text printing must remain a mystery” (Hunter, 78).
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate that Ana was able to turn a negative experience in her life into a positive one through altering her book. She was able to break norms by experimenting on the pages in ways that I may not have ever thought to do in ways that inherently livened up dry material, whether it be through drawing, collaging, or even embroidering the pages with bright colors. This process has opened her eyes to appreciate the history of books, and therefore paper. She was also right to connect her experimentation to papermaking and bookmaking, as someone had to start somewhere to create these entities that we have grown to take for granted. Making paper was clearly a tedious, fragile process back when it was first being discovered even if one knew how to make it, let alone determine that too. I agree with Jennifer that if more people knew the history and process, they might be a little less inclined to waste paper in the ways we see today. Or that perhaps we might appreciate them more if there was a shortage of the materials to make today’s paper, much like there was a shortage of rags in Europe as the trade spread throughout the continent.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great how Ana chose to alter her never before used French textbook. I think it is interesting how she described altering a textbook as a way of breaking out of societies socially accepted norms; I hadn’t thought about this before. When we have a required textbook for a class, we try to take good care of the textbook in case we need to return it or sell it back to the bookstore. It seems almost unacceptable if we damage or alter the textbook in anyway. Since she was unable to use this textbook outside of her French class, she decided to alter it into something positive and unique. I really like how Ana used a picture found in the textbook and added outlines and drawings to it to make it more lively and pop from the page. Ana mentions how the process of making paper was very extensive and needed to be precise in order to make good quality paper; a quote from the article Road Trip further supports this by describing how the materials that went into paper had to be done by hand, “pounding was almost surely done manually with stones, wooden mallets” (Basbanes, page 61). This leads to my agreement with both Jennifer and Renate in that we take paper for granted in our everyday lives. We use it with ease and never think twice about it. But there was a time where there was a limited supply of paper available and the process of making it was difficult and time consuming.
ReplyDeleteAna does a great job altering a book that she once feared, making it into something that she can be proud of. I thought it was great that she was able to take a French textbook and make alterations that had nothing to do with the language. She was able to incorporate what was already in the text and turn it into something positive. Ana said that she started with small changes and then made her way to altering full pages. This is intriguing because this class is a step out of many peoples comfort zones and Ana does a great job “thinking outside of the book.” By using 3D images and pop ups, I noticed that Ana may have a passion for fashion. By turning this book into something she loves, it creates a positive twist on something she once had a strong distaste for. Through Ana’s explanations of her readings I was interesting in seeing what she found interesting and relevant when compared to mine and my other classmates reading experience. She touches base on the importance of paper and even with the rise in technology use, paper will always be vital to our world and has been for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was clever how Ana used a textbook for this assignment. Honestly, when I first received the e-mail to bring in a book that held some sort of meaning for myself, I never even thought to bring a book that possibly had negative meaning. By adding color, design, and textures, this textbook was really given the chance to be personalized. This I think is a brilliant concept on its own because textbooks are very standardized. Every student receives the same bound pages and it gives no room for interpretation. But Ana was able to add her own unique touch which really gave the textbook new life and permitted it to break out of the specific purpose that society gave it. I too wrote about the different mediums that written words and aesthetic design were able to be placed upon. It is interesting how paper, or rather its function, was needed by all. Every culture has its own history of important documents or artworks that needed to take a physical form. Whether it was cave drawings, the Rosetta stone, the Mona Lisa, the Declaration of Independence; each had the need to be shared by all which is why something was required that would last generations. Obviously, paper is very delicate but it allows ideas, thoughts, and inspiration to be enjoyed by every individual.
ReplyDeleteAna Gabriela’s altered book was very impressive. She started off her reflection by saying that altering her old French book was exciting to her. French wasn’t an easy course for her, and she has had the book for four years now, what better way than to do whatever you want to an old, unwanted book! I loved the fashion page a lot, because French is very well known for their fashion! When buying a textbook, the unspoken rule every college student knows is “do not write in the textbook”. Well Ana Gabriela did the complete opposite, I loved how she added her own illustrations to the pages and she “broke the rules of society”. Ana Gabriela mentioned that the people who created paper had to think outside of the box, just as she did when altering her book, to create something more durable, and essentially new. Paper was originally made out of rags. A key component in this course is the making of paper. Today we have easier access to raw materials, than the individuals did when paper making started. Today we also have the access to pure and clean water, which essentially makes the making of paper easier for us.
ReplyDeleteAna, First of all, it is impressive that you are Bilingual! I would love to be able to speak another language fluently, and the fact that you attempted French as your 3rd language is an accomplishment in itself. I completely agree that one must think outside the box and break these societal norms from time to time, particularly when creating something new and unique. I really liked your idea to sew your name into one of the pages, as if to permanently leave your mark on the altered book. Although you never actually finished the French course, this textbook seems to mean more than just your average textbook. This could potentially be due to the fact that you haven’t been able to sell it and you’ve been forced to look at it for 3 years. I also think it’s because this class presented a challenge to you so early on in your college career. I agree with Lauren’s comment and think you did a great job turning this textbook into something that you can relate to positively. It really is interesting to read how paper was made in the past and how difficult it was to harvest the raw materials to make just one sheet of paper. This process was streamlined over time and allowed for a more efficient process, and eventually led to the incredibly efficient process exhibited today. I enjoyed your usage of the quote at the end of the reflection. Thinking outside the box is really a necessary process in life, and especially this class, in creating things that are unique and special to an individual. This is something you have done quite well in this altered book assignment.
ReplyDeleteAna did a great job altering her book by starting making small steps and then expanding into the entire book. I really liked how she decided to work with a textbook that she has had since freshman year and her reason for choosing the book. I agree with Ana when she talks about the paper making process and how she learned that paper was originally made out of rags. This was something that I learned from the first time as well from reading these articles. Paper is something that I think many of us take for granted and I agree with how Ana says we use it for many different occupations that we don’t realize whether that at home, work or school. Before reading these articles I also was not aware of the importance of water in the creation of paper. My favorite part of Ana’s reflection was when she said “broke the rules of society” as I felt the same way when I was constructing my altered book. I think this can be blamed on our surroundings and the community that we are from can be blamed for this. Art isn’t something that comes to one’s mind when they think of Bryant University so going through the motions of altering the book felt very different!
ReplyDeleteWhile it’s amazing that so many of us worked on books with positive impacts on our life, there’s a small part of me that wished I kept all my Bryant textbooks. Especially my Finance and Accounting textbooks, the alterations on that book would be far more destructive then the ones I did on Holes. I agree with Ana that breaking the rules of society about altering the books was exhilarating. She follows the creators of papers creative process by going against the societal norm. Thinking out the box has led us to where we are today, which makes Ana’s alterations even more creative. However, Ana did something completely different to her French textbook. She took an unused textbook, which if we all kept these books we could probably supply three other bookmaking class with materials to alter. She was able to take something negative and turn it into in positive. She made her textbook full of colorful drawings and cutouts of beautiful clothes. As mentioned in other posts paper is taken for granted and is often wasted on books that will never be used to their full potential. She made use of the paper and made it into a creative product.
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