Absent from the writing, absent from the reading

The reader is absent from the writing of the book; the writer is absent from its reading. Kelber, The Oral and the Written Gospel, p.92

This seems a fairly self-evident observation. But it does point to some vital differences between oral and written culture. In an oral performance, the speaker is immediately responsible to his/her audience. And the audience is a very real presence that is bound to respond to the performance in some way or other — to which the performer can in turn respond. There is an element of personal accountability here that is difficult to escape. And the performer/listener context invites and indeed, because of the impermanence of speech, requires this responding.

The writer, however, is usually addressing an unknown reader whose presence and qualities must be imagined. The dynamics of immediate accountability and responsibility — ability to respond — have been removed. And rather than inviting participation, once the text is written it invites reflection and an ongoing process of interpretation.