Peter Rhodes on handwriting, sales slogans and the joy of dining with strangers
A panel of experts has blamed lockdown disruption and the rise of computers for a recent decline in handwriting. Secondary pupils are producing some scrappy, illegible written work that, only a few years ago, would have disgraced a primary-school kid.
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But the decline of writing is nothing new. I'm in the process of transcribing my grandfather's war diary of 1914-19 and, although he used far too many commas and spelt almost every French place-name wrongly, his writing is a perfect copperplate, the result of much practice using steel nibs and cheap paper. The simpler the technology, the better the handwriting.
Today's computer-game kids may not be able to dot an I or cross a T but, as they can conquer galaxies without leaving their own bedroom, who cares?
