The graphic configurations of books destined to the reading process teaching both in Brazil and in France and its possible effects in the usage of works in print (19th and 20th centuries)

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the usage of graphic and typographic resources of seven french books and of five brazilian books dated from the end of the 19th century and destined to the initial stages of the reading process. For this purpose, assumptions concerning the material bibliography, the history of the book, the history of reading and literacy presented in the works of Roger Chartier, Donald Mckenzie, Anne-Marie Chartier and Jean Hébrard are considered. Exploring the mise en page and instructions, this work aims to understand the roles of typography, letter-spacing, columns, colors, lines, numbers as well as other characters. The present work leads to the conclusion that similar methods of reading may use different resources and, on the other hand, the same resources may serve to differents methods. Usage notes suggest that graphic resources constitute a kind of instrument that influences the conception of language and the usage of the written page.