From Epigrams to Tweets

Abstract

Motivated by the paradox that communication technologies that require short forms of writing are both globally popular, but widely criticised, this paper seeks to locate such writing in an historical context. This paper explores the relationship between short forms of poetic writing, which have provided a foundation for subsequent forms of writing appropriate for contemporary media platforms including Twitter, Mobile Phones, Social Media and Email. In particular it examines the epigram, and epigrammatic styles of writing, drawing parallels between them and the short forms of writing required for Tweeting and Texting. It focuses particularly on the legacy of the Roman poet, Martial, whose work influenced many other writers in the English canon, but also draws attention to the popularity and influence of epigrammatic style and form in other languages and cultures.