Marginalia

The word marginalia was one employed by Samuel Coleridge, to describe the etchings one would place within the margin of a book whilst reading. From the outset many disregard this practise as simply bad etiquette, saying “didn’t your mommy ever tell you, never to write in books?” Others may articulate that writing in a margin is just bad practice, defacing and devaluing the book.

Mortimer Adler however argues that “reading a book should be a conversation between you and the author,” what better way to do this than to converse within the margins of each page. Thus, marginalia does neither deface nor devalue, but on the contrary, ascribes value to both the book and its author. Writing within the margin shows that you are engaging with the text, attempting to ascent its ideas, forming conclusions and critiques as you read. Billy Collins exhorts us in his poem, not to be those who merely laze in the armchair turning pages, but instead those who press a thought into the wayside, planting an impression along the verge.

Marginalia is also an historic and stylistic tradition, which has attracted in particular the scholarly work of Dr. H. Jackson (University of Toronto). Jackson traces the consistent practice of well known authors such as Alexander Poe, William Blake and Samuel Coleridge himself. Thus it is clear, to write within margins is to write upon the very pages of history itself, continuing in the tradition of these many great authors, leaving behind a fleeting thought, a cutting critique or perhaps just a hearty ‘Amen.’

A Solomonic discursive on the Ants...

It was the work of zoologist William Beebe - whilst exploring the Guyanan jungle - who first noticed the both unfortunate and deadly phenomena known as the ‘circular mill.’ The circular mill is a situation which occurs among a certain species of Marabunta ant, more commonly known as the ‘army ant.’ Whenever a single ant breaks away from the main foraging group, the unfortunate fellow automatically follows the one in front. As this pattern continues, many other ants inevitably follow in pursuit, going no where and ultimately embarking on a windy (and probably dizzy) path of self destruction. Beebe recorded the size of the circular mill as some 1,200 feet in circumference, with each ant taking two and a half hours to complete a single rotation. Within two days Beebe recorded those ants within the circular mill all to have died.

We must learn from nature’s analogy, steering clear of the army ant’s folly. We should be Christians who avoid following mindlessly the doctrines and traditions of our past, believing something simply because we always have. That is not to say we should disregard everything from our past experience, becoming sceptics of the old and slaves to new, holding with little regard the teaching of our parents. However when a foundation is unsteady, repair work must be done in order for profitable work to continue. At the beginning of this college experience, may we be Christians and students alike ready to change even in the simplest of things, that we may grow into maturity of the fullness of Christ.