I had a sudden realization about halfway through David Abram's magnificent book, The Spell of the Sensuous   (1997). Why didn't anyone teach me that the alphabet is a technology ? I memorized the ABCs so early in life that I never seriously questioned the origin of its symbolism. What are these occult letters - nothing but scribbles on paper (and screens) that designate sounds? There is, indeed, a certain magical effect behind written symbols, which is still conveyed in t