Jana Dambrogio holds a model of a highly secure locked letter; one used by Queen Elizabeth I of England, her spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, and poet John Donne in the 16th-century. Dambrogio reverse-engineers historic originals to figure out how they once folded and secured shut to become their own envelopes. Students participated in a letterlocking workshop led by Dambrogio on session 12. (Image courtesy of Jana Dambrogio and Sarah Manguso. Used with permission.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Stephanie A. Frampton
MIT Course Number
21L.715 / CMS.871
As Taught In
Fall 2015
Level
Undergraduate / Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This seminar is about the pleasures and power of reading. From the Sumerian clay tablets of more than four millenia ago through the spectacular emergence of the electronic text, the written word—in all its forms—has captivated the human mind, embodied our insights into the world around us, and made enduring our most profound artistic creations and scientific discoveries.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 