The decline of handwriting skills extends far beyond just the physical act of moving a pen across paper, as highlighted in a recent discussion on the topic. I’ve had the unique opportunity to show students Virginia Woolf’s original manuscript for her essay “Women and Fiction.” This piece eventually evolved into the renowned work “A Room of One’s Own.” Seeing Woolf’s hurried, purple-ink scrawls mixed with crossed-out words as she hunted for the perfect expression is a revelation that typed words simply can’t match. I’m left wondering what literary archives might look like for future students if all they ever see are typed lines on a screen. It seems unlikely they’d ever evoke the same level of thrill. — Dr. Claire Nicholson, Chair of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain
Christine Rosen pointed out reasons to worry about the disappearance of handwriting, but it’s worth considering that tracing letters can also foster cognitive development, much like forming them by hand. An old colleague from art school recalled his training days when students at South Kensington art school, which became the Royal College of Art, were taught to draw Roman capital letters. Each morning began with tracing a large sample letter until they mastered it, proceeding to the next. This rigorous practice meant graduates could draw Roman letters freehand, proving that even “mechanical” drawing aids memory and comprehension. — Michael Daley, Director of ArtWatch UK
Christine Rosen eloquently describes how writers benefit from handwritten crafts but gaps remain concerning the reader’s perspective. Despite its reputation as a pseudoscience, graphology can reveal much about a writer’s character. My father once employed a young man seemingly in the wrong role. After sending a handwriting sample to the graphologist Marianne Jacoby, she suggested journalism or finance as a better fit. This insight led him to a successful career as City editor for a national newspaper—a path he might never have considered without that analysis. — Alan Sekers, London
After nearly 50 years of using computers, I’m grateful to have almost entirely left handwriting behind. In the late ’80s, I learned to touch-type and haven’t missed deciphering anyone’s handwriting since. Christine Rosen misses experiencing the swift capture of thoughts, without stalling to interpret handwriting. As for signatures and handwriting holding deep meaning? That’s not the case in my world. — Alan Gough, Manchester
Christine Rosen highlighted handwriting’s role in honing focus, but there’s more to its charm. Even without being a calligraphy expert, there’s a remarkable satisfaction in watching ideas flow from mind to paper through pen and ink. When thoughts visibly manifest, we embrace creativity’s core—a loss felt when words stop being handwritten. — Dr. Emile de Sousa, Stoke D’Abernon, Surrey
With cursive writing falling out of common practice, a pressing question emerges: how will future scholars decode historical handwritten documents? This issue surfaced when my husband received an appeal from an American George Eliot scholar needing retired teachers to transcribe Eliot’s letters—her students simply couldn’t handle cursive. — Marie Paterson, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
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