The Power of the Mise-en-page: Notebooks and Study Materials in the Jewish Renaissance

11 March 2025

Photo: Carolina Lehan/HEPMASITE

The HEPMASITE project would like to invite you to a lecture on Tuesday, 11 March 2025, at 16:15. Hanna Gentili (University of Hamburg) will talk about “The Power of Mise-en-page: Notebooks and Study Materials in the Jewish Renaissance.”

Abstract
How should a philosophical text look like? What practices historically affected the way in which we read and study philosophy? This talk delves into manuscript and early print traditions of Hebrew philosophy, exploring how layout design, editorial choices, and visual hierarchies guided intellectual engagement. By examining the structuring of philosophical texts, the positioning of commentaries and the presence of different layers, we will uncover various ways by which layout design had a meaningful impact on the production, transmission and study of philosophy. Focusing on textbooks and study materials, we will investigate the diverse contexts in which these works were produced and transmitted-from carefully designed manuscripts to notebooks that embody personal and collective learning practices. Situating Hebrew philosophical manuscripts within the broader landscape of Jewish written cultures, our analysis will also draw comparisons with early print practices, revealing how materiality, editing and layout design have shaped the transmission of knowledge.

Further information
Further organisational information and the registration form can be found on the webpage of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC): link webpage CSMC