• “Nonsense Rides Piggyback on Sensible Things”: The Past, Present, and Future of Graphology

    Author(s):
    Deborah Thorpe (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    Paleography, Writing
    Item Type:
    Book chapter
    Tag(s):
    graphology, handwriting, Palaeography, Materiality of writing
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6804XJ7V
    Abstract:
    “Nonsense rides piggyback on sensible things”, declares professional sceptic and questioned-document analyst Joe Nickell concerning graphology. This chapter examines graphology’s enduring allure and reach, despite its controversies, and considers its relationship with other types of handwriting analysis. It first asks: is it possible to metaphorically “dissect” the page of handwritten texts, to scrutinize writing as a “medical paratext” rich in information about the writer’s state of health? It then interrogates the nature of the connection between physical and mental states and handwriting. It demonstrates how academics are going “back to basics” with their enquiries into individual difference and handwriting features, and how digital methodologies are contributing to this. Thus, this chapter is an updated study of graphology, providing a wider understanding of the concept of the paratext by considering the information captured in handwriting in the context of a digital age.
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Book chapter     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73426-2_9
    Publisher:
    Springer International Publishing
    Pub. Date:
    2018-5-15
    Book Title:
    Medical Paratexts from Medieval to Modern
    Author/Editor:
    H. C. Tweed, D. G. Scott
    Page Range:
    139 - 155
    ISBN:
    9783319734255
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    Attribution
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