The Scroll’s Journey Through Time

This study explores the evolutionary history of the scroll as a significant medium for preserving written texts in several ancient societies, highlighting its notable durability as one of the primary formats for books. The scroll motif holds significant connotations related to sacred Scripture, legal decrees, and ancient manuscripts, hence influencing the literary traditions of several cultures throughout several centuries. This study highlights the significant influence of scrolls on the contemporary exploration of ancient book formats by examining their evolution across time, exploring the notion that the long-lasting influence of scrolls on contemporary experimental literature serves as evidence of their symbolic and historical importance. This analysis focuses on the examination of several scrolls, including the Torah scrolls, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Derveni papyrus, and the Book of Esther. The objective is to shed light on their cultural and theological significance, and importance and how they continue to reverberate in contemporary works. The legendary Jack Kerouac’s manuscript On the Road (1951), which depicts the fast-paced spirit of the Beat Generation, exemplifies a mid-20th-century return to the scroll format. In Kerouac's hands, the scroll becomes a physical embodiment of his impulsive prose and unconventional spirit, drawing parallels with the fluid narratives of ancient texts.

The ‘Interior Scroll’ performance art piece by Carolee Schneemann in 1975, which weaves written text within the female body, as she pulls a scroll from her vagina, connects the ancient and contemporary. It echoes the innovative nature of experimental literature by symbolising the subversion of established formats. By reviving the scroll motif, this study argues that contemporary experimental literature pays tribute to ancient book formats. The symbolic significance and haptic qualities of scrolls stimulate an impression of continuity with literary history, providing an avenue for writers and artists to explore non-traditional narratives and push the boundaries of storytelling. The study thus reveals the complex relationship between ancient formats and avant-garde expressions, illuminating how the scroll's journey through time continues to motivate and influence contemporary literary experimentation.



Adeola Eze is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities at Coventry University with a research interest that critically assesses the discovery, preservation, reception, and reuse of ancient book formats in contemporary literature through an experimental approach. The study explores how ancient societies utilised texts and images to communicate and the importance of preserving surviving texts, as their historical significance, impact on literary culture, relation to technology and culture, environmental sustainability, and their potential to challenge traditional writing and storytelling methods are examined.

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