MARSHALL McLUHAN THE UTENBERG GALAXY The Gutenberg Galaxy The Gutenberg Galaxy The Making of Typographic Man MARSHALL MeLUHAN ‘With new cssays by W. Terrence Gordon, Elona Lamberti, and Dominique Sehetfel-Dinand Furstedition ‘© University of Toronto Prose Incorporated 1062 Reprinted 1966, 1967, 1968, 1980, 1586, 1888, 1992, 1955, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2008, 2010 ‘This edition Estate of Corinne MeLuhan 2011 [Nos css in this sition 49 Caiversiy of ‘Toronto Press Toruntg Bullilo Tandon ‘xo utppublishing.com Printed in Canada, a ISBN 978-1-4426-1260-3 (paper) ‘ralated ito the following languages Cation Portuguese french Polish German Rernnian Greek Seibo-Croat Italian Spanish Japanese. Swedish Printed on ucid-ties, 100% post-consumer reeyeled paper ‘with vegetable-based inks Library and Archives Camula Cataloguing in Publication McLuhsa, Matshall, 1911. 1980 ‘The Gutenberg galany ° the mioking o?lypograyiie magn ‘Marshall McLuban : with new essays by W. ‘esrence Goadon, Eleva Laroberti and Dominique Schettel-Dunand, Includes bibliographical references and index. ISIN 978-1-4426- 1267-3 1. Painting. 2. Coromunication and culture. 3. Techoolagy and civilization, 1. Title ZIIGMIS2011 686209 C201 1-904384-K University of Toray Pross acknowledges the financial assiscauce to ics publishing program of the Canada Conncil for the Ants aad the Ontarie Acts Cowal Samet men St LLniversity of Loronto Bross acknowledges the financial suppert af the Government of Canada through the Canada ‘Book Fund for its publishing aetivitios McLuhan’s Compass for the Voyage to a World of Electric Words We TERENCE GORDON Ina leer wsitien to his evtaveson Chrismas Day 1960, Marshall MeLuhan mentioned thache had drafted a book in less thaa a month. OF all his publicauons, Ve Cadenberg Galaxy (henceforth GU, so explosive onthe page, had the tidest beginnings. The mannstin flowed from MeL.ubon's ‘en unit heh witlen 399 payes. Tete he sopped, 0 thal the otal ofthe carefully mumbered foolscap shits woul bs divisible by tees. (8 a syeabal of intllecval and spitual ‘onder, the number thre retail erent impoetane or him turonsont his Life» the book's eme beginnings yo bac ot least to MLuban's teaching days at St Louis Univesity inthe 19368 and "40s, ‘who he diseused ideas conccrning the print mesium and its flets with colleagues and students, cends, and neighboucs. 1h £951, having finally seen the protean manuserpt oF The “Mechanic Bride tough the press, aftera vers long {estan peri, his thoahis rune o thos dscusicns ‘sith Walter Ong and others. Within a you. MeLulian announced to Ezra Pound that be a3 "writing a book on "The Ten ofthe Gutenberg Fra" and sent him an sightsen-point contline ofthe wot, pitching it as the “icon smash: {undef an emverhaul ol underyratunte education Today, a hal-ceauury after GG fest appeared sn pri, the proliferation of electronic media hns inevitably dwarfed the Scope of the couumentary thar McLuba wrote when lelevision and computers were sil in sei infancy, bul the ‘passage of time has not diminished the iconoclastic force of the book. (Not has that proliferauon diminished che need for am overhaul of urloruradualy edueation } Tis best read not simply as a harbinger ofa postliterate society that would Dewilder Tokiannes Guenhery and that McLuhan bisselt ‘auld be shocked to find yo entrenched 30 early in the ‘pventy-fssc century, but as an endunng challenge to undersiond ils subversive purpose, Though many commentators radically miscead MeLuhaa xs imtondiny to hasten the collapse of Book culiur, in fact he issued a call for shoring it up: “Far from wishing to belie The Gutenberg mechanical clue, itseemis Foe Tat we aust now work very hard to retain its achieved values.”"GIG provides prouressively suonger hints tthe ceader a6 ta bow this can be donc; the companion yolumne (Lhalerstatins ‘Meatia, promised in CG's closing papes) explicitly states that ring back culture cam enly be dans hy wyeiding the errors cof the past.” Pansora’s box cammot be closed," need uot be closed, provided we ask if the wis sping Ceo it may Jmpoverish us, The epver al GG, perhaps promising by iy tile Lo hs science-fiction chiller. bore two upper-case Gs, set in huge Iype Linked as oir iwnayes of each oltes, the white Deters lear against «red background, Thoy hint st a vortex, mack its surge, and ag in a paralysed, stylized parody of princ leghnlogy impoverishing Ure integration of the lise senses by privileging che eve alone. But the intertocking desiga is also.a labyrinth wilh easy access uals centre, a median shin a _medior, the Tost world of acovstie space and integra senses destined for resurgence in the post-Gautenbers era, The ‘huok’s caver hus annguncell theme ily hich MfeTaihan huges eu the first page of his prologne;*a theme thatis The cane al is subsequent major work Fram Taderstanding Media to the posthumously published Tans of Meda, ‘MeLuhan’s contract tor (79 referred rot a3 “Ihe ‘Gutenterg Esa." a phiase found in its pages, bul he settled on The Gutesrborg Gohexy, not only Forts aliterative valve hut to emphasize thaca configuration of events had been spawned Jy De invention o The printing prons, (Cruxally, the soxennd principal section of the book dels withthe re coutiguration ‘of Gutenherg's legacy and lays a founuation Coe examining -ecomrs precipitated by the electronic galaxy and studying media ina framework still applicable today.) Cialaxy™ allowed McLuhan us asus an mouia-inducesd scents amd 10 ‘evoke his theme of effects 93a cluster of environmental chaagas, [MeLuthan cices a score of writers and thinkers in his ‘opening puges, incudiny historians of asience, lechnulogs and mtedicine, ‘Lo these le will later add references to social and cultural historians, ecomomnisis, and poliical scientists But iis felling that even 4s hi prologuc draws toa clase and sets up the opening of the section antitled ‘The Gutenberg ‘Gully. all such references give way ta a Tengthy discussion of Shakespeare, W.B. Years, Cervaates, Lhis is typical of the ppeference thal McLuhan consistently displays Fan drassing en the insights of artists more than on the discursive writings of analysts. $o, for example, he acknowledges his debt to Harold Tnmis (veo discussion holo), hus quoles hin less allen thyn he ‘quotes James Joyce. (Ihe chapter gloss far Gtr on page 201 alerts seadess thal Thasmas Nase, the sulject of MeLuhan’s sloctoralthosis at Cambridge University, was the Flizabcthan counterpart co James Joyee.) The same Gend is i evidence in ‘Meuhan's seiting predating GC and in ll hs Talse works — and for reasons which he makes clear Wyndham Lessa, for example, hau anese conception of shat a “Life wth all the humbug of living taken ou of it? MeLuhan had a ness conception of what media could be shen pul inte Mie hands of wists: The media ure mot bys, they shuld nor be in the hands of Mother Goose aud Peter Pan executives ... The nild beamed of techaolagical cultute Ihave yet t find their bustors or masters, They hive found nly ther PT. Barnums.”* ‘hough Lewis is quoted in GG oaly for his views on align antiquavianisin, he had loog since served MeLuhan a a model for wvciding categorical judgrnomts, MeT ahan’s impetus towards the principles of umtegratioa and syathesis in all his wwork cosonnles sith Tosia's ideal oF reinteurating Ihe ats of sculpnure, painting, and architeemure. An the first volurne othe jousnal Blast, Lewis, as edilor, had articulated the principle thatthe artist x not the slave af commation hut its master; MoLuhan, the navigator ofthe electronic ‘mgelsiror that sxamped dhe Gulenberx era, would Isach fhe prigciple that understanding media provides the means of ‘heeping thera under contsol, Lewis urdeasiad the Fraymenting effects of rodhnelagy and spake of thom in terms that would be closely paralleled in ML uhan’s writings, Iayinning wilh GG Towis’s eomeupt of xpuce combs Une cove ofthe idea that McLuhan wanld develop as the islinction between visual and acoustie space. Like Lewis, MaLuhan would move beyand his original aesthetic ntutgss in thy world af he arty by undorstandng he relationship between art and reetology. McLuhan shared Lewis's concept ofthe artis being inextricably Linked tothe ‘inevitable encroachments of technaloyy. Path men aceopred the necessity of facing che effects of technological advances asdetuched observers of Uhoie causes Lewis's nalion ofthe vortex as 8 mask of energy iu relation fo beth art and