In the article, An Alphabet That Things, Lanham talks about the concept of looking at and looking through. Looking at is what you notice when you are viewing a particular text, for example, size, color, and font choice. Looking through is the meaning or concept of the written text. Therefore, you are looking through what you are looking at.
Lanham talks about the clarity-brevity-sincerity (C-B-S) model of communication. He describes clarity as a "message you want to send to someone else. It must be clear: you don't want to obscure the stuff" (Lanham 137). For brevity he says "Keep it short. Cut the cackle" (Lanham 141). Finally, for sincerity "You must not, that is, have any designs on anybody, try to persuade them of anything" (Lanham 137). So basically this theory takes all opinion, and rhetorical thinking out of communication.
Lanham goes on to explain that "It is an un-teachable theory (C-B-S model). It argues that all expression should be transparent, not noticed, existing only to showcase the meaning" (Lanham 141). I agree with Lanham that this is an un-teachable theory, as it would take away all elements of design, opinion, and argument. How fun would that be? I think people need self expression in there lives or life would simply be boring.
I think Lanham is right when he talks about changes in media literacy. Printed books has been the standard way of learning for sometime. Lanham explains, "Alphabets that think create texts that mix words, images, and sound in dynamic ways. Such mixtures do not seem, to many people, and especially to scholarly audiences, as "serious" as a fixed printed book" (Lanham 136). I think we need to incorporate "an alphabet that thinks" with printed books, as tools for learning, so that we are able to have the best of both worlds, when it comes to learning.
Lanham, Richard A. The economics of attention: style and substance in the age of information. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. Print.
