BMCR 2009.08.02: Response by Harris on Dozier on William A. Johnson, Holt N. Parker, Ancient Literacies: The Culture of Reading in Greece and Rome

Harris on Dozier on William A. Johnson, Holt N. Parker, Ancient
Literacies: The Culture of Reading in Greece and Rome.   Response to
BMCR 2009.07.65

Response by W.V. Harris, Columbia University ([email protected])
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To read a print-formatted version of this response, see
http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2009/2009-08-02.html
To comment on this review, see
http://www.bmcreview.org/2009/08/20090802.html
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I read Curtis Dozier's review with great interest. But I have to
correct him in one respect. He implies with the word "admitted" that I
published my book *Ancient Literacy* in the knowledge that it did not
ask "the truly interesting questions" (a strange thing to do!). He is a
careless reader indeed. What I said (p.ix) was that very early in my
project ("after a few months' work") a respected friend told me that I
was not asking "the truly interesting questions". In short, I mostly
took her advice.

As for ancient literacy, I should simply like to assure classicists
that, circumstances permitting, I expect to return fairly soon to
reinforce and expand the views I put forward in 1989.