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Long Live the Handwritten Manuscript

Long Live the Handwritten Manuscript! [Fuck, Yeah, Manuscripts! via Flavor] This is a really cool new Tumblr: Manuscripts, letters, business cards, and occasionally other memorabilia (photos, videos) from our favourite literary and historical figures. Here are some good ones: George Orwell’s manuscript for 1984: Orwell writes “upward,” which indicates optimism. His relatively short loops on letters like ‘g,’ however, indicate someone “entirely disinterested in physical activity,” who might be lazy or even sedentary. The angular nature of his letters and the connections between them suggests a writer who is “often analytical, tense and self disciplined. He usually can see more than one approach to a problem and therefore often has some degree of executive ability. He uses willpower to direct and control his actions.” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s manuscript for The Great Gatsby In one page, Fitzgerald moves from keeping his margin open on the left (“interest in future, ambition, socially oriented”) to letting it drift over to the right (“interest in past, works best behind scenes, introspective”), so he may either be good at everything or mildly schizophrenic. His long lower loops suggest a strong physical drive, but his wavering downward slant could indicate fatigue. So maybe, too much physicality today?
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