Volvelles
Originating as a slide chart with overlapping rotatable paper or parchment circles that are connected in the center and contained within a manuscript or codex, the volvelle was used between the 13th and 16th centuries to predict or record external events based on the alignment of written or drawn symbols or words. Being useful just as they are intricate and striking, they are deployed often to teach concepts to individual learners. The volvelle defies the formal convention of the book due to its impermanence, and its reliance on interaction. It connects external events to the book, integrating the instrument and book, extending its relevant authority contained within the text in a practical way to obtain real world information.
Introduction
Analyzing the evolution of the volvelle from their medieval origins through the subsequent centuries through several important examples will provide an understanding of their changing functions and their eventual demise in the 16th century. Whether it was used as propaganda to promote the spread of Christianity, a tool to understand astronomical principals, or a practical guide for understanding the natural world, the medieval volvelle was based on the geocentric theories of Ptolemy. As the astronomical concepts of Copernicus became more widely adopted over this system, the volvelle soon became obsolete. It was only with the invention of the die-cut printing press that a different form of the volvelle, independent of the book, reemerged in the mid-20th century. Medieval or modern, this instrument augmented or replaced the formal narrative-driven structure of the conventional book through its ability to condense or miniaturize information into a tool that required the interaction of the reader.
In this context, the volvelle is a side-step in the evolution of the book because of its ability of to condense textual information and to radically restructure how a reader receives it. The volvelle could be considered a parallel to the reinvention of internet article and text formats as devised by Ted Nelson in Project Xanadu Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many. The volvelle is analogous to Nelson’s ideas because it changes the format of the book in the way it is read, embedding the text of the book within its structure; the same way that hypertext allows for the immediate comparison of sets of information or documents to other sources Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many. In both cases, the viewer becomes an interactive generator who “finds” their own information. The volvelle and the structure of Project Xanadu are instruments of personal discovery, which differs from the linear structure of text. It is less instructive and more constructive since it results in different information each time depending on what the reader is is trying to discern. A volvelle augments the text of a manuscript by providing a pragmatic use or application for overarching subjects or ideas, whether it be in the fields of religion or science (Drennan, 318).
Origins
The creation and use of the volvelle can be traced to medieval Europe during the 13th century, and its inclusion in
manuscripts increased and grew in popularity between the 14th and 16th centuries. As an era of both deconstruction and devastation, as well as innovation and construction, the exploration of science spurred its invention. Its structure was derived directly from the astrolabe, a metal instrument that was used exclusively for astronomy, predicting the positions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets [1]. During this period, astronomy and religion had deep-rooted connections within the medieval mind, associating “the above” as a significant mystery within Christianity as well as early scientific thought [2]. The elements outside of Earth’s sphere were considered “heavenly bodies” and the volvelle helped to inform the viewer of their movements in the distant and intriguing features of the sky. The calculations done in such arenas were considered very sacred with “supernatural potential” because it entered the realm of the underlying structure of the universe, connoting for many the entrance into the mind of the Creator [1].
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Werner, Sarah. “Volvelles.” Folger Shakespeare Library. 11 December 2012. https://collation.folger.edu/2012/12/volvelles/ Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.
- ↑ Karr, Suzanne. “Constructions Both Sacred And Profane: Serpents, Angels, And Pointing Fingers In Renaissance Books With Moving Parts.” The Yale University Library Gazette, Vol. 78, No. 3/4 (April 2004), pg. 101. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40859568 Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.