The Ohio State University helpfully defines literacy by first pointing out that “literacy is a process that involves creating, conveying, and comprehending meaning, typically by means of a notation system, such as an alphabet. The process is complex, and the complexities are largely context specific.”
Literacy studies, then, explores the ways that individuals and groups acquire and utilize literacy practices in particular contexts and lived experiences.
One question scholars and students might consider in analyzing Elizabeth Dyke’s manuscript via a literacy studies lens is: How does Dyke use reading and writing in her daily life, as demonstrated by her recipe book?
But, as the definition provided above indicates, we can broaden the concept of literacy to mean more than simply the reading and writing of alphabetic text. What other forms of literacy knowledge does Dyke’s manuscript suggest she utilizes? For example, does her text demonstrate culinary literacy? Medicinal literacy or knowledge, as discussed in this lesson developed for secondary world history classrooms? What evidence are there for these literacies within the manuscript, and how do they function for Dyke?
Works Cited and Additional Resources:
https://literacystudies.osu.edu/literacy-study
White-Farnham, Jamie. “Rhetorical Recipes: Women’s Literacies in and out of the Kitchen. Community Literacy Journal.” Community Literacy Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012, pp. 23-41.
Using Early Modern Recipes Today 