Books can be assembled like collages from separate fragments

Evidence

For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue here, a scrap of narrative, an isolated description of a common object, an elaborate running metaphor which threads between the sequences and holds different narrative lines together. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1077 (#expands, via linked claim)

The flexibility of the compilation, the ability to create bespoke texts from segments of other works, was one of the key features distinguishing the manuscript book world from the age of print, where the order and nature of texts was established before they came into the hands of the purchaser. This loss of autonomy in the creation of books would be one of the major sources of regret among established collectors in the transition from manuscript to print in the fifteenth century. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 65 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Many years later I needed it, to help me write my novel Fludd. I wanted to quote it verbatim; it was beyond me to make this stuff up. Drawing on the network of influence that spreads outward from a master criminal such as myself, I activated a daughter of the house to travel from her home in Liverpool, divert the attention of her parents, and slip the book into her traveling bag. In this way it came home to the woman who appreciates it most, and who keeps it to hand in case of sudden difficulty. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 23 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Writers should draw from diverse experiences when crafting books. — Tilar J Mazzeo, How to Write a Bestseller, 367; Writers can appropriate eccentric historical artifacts for their creative work — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 23; Manuscript collectors assembled bespoke texts, a freedom print abolished — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 65 (+3 more)

Related

• Books are best constructed as flexible collages of movable fragments. (similarity 0.92)
• Writers can appropriate eccentric historical artifacts for their creative work (similarity 0.81)
• Manuscript collectors assembled bespoke texts, a freedom print abolished (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Books are best constructed as flexible collages of movable fragments. #expands (0.90) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1077
• Manuscript collectors assembled bespoke texts, a freedom print abolished #corroborates (0.85) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 65
• Writers can appropriate eccentric historical artifacts for their creative work #exemplifies (0.80) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 23
• Writers should draw from diverse experiences when crafting books. #expands (0.70) — Tilar J Mazzeo, How to Write a Bestseller, 367