ABSTRACT
The article aims to understand the processes of approximation of cultures within the writings of a self-taught individual, and his current practices of reading and writing. It is an emblematic case study, which makes it possible to problematize questions underlying the study of the history and sociology of reading. In the analysis, three dimensions were favored: a) social belonging and the generational non-linearity regarding the participation in written culture; b) the self-taught practices developed in order to master the written system; and c) the transition among what is oral, what is written, and the sociabilities in the appropriation of readings. The intellectual practices developed by this individual reinforce the need not to consider orality and writings as dichotomous poles, because these two dimensions of language act simultaneously in the formation of social disposition, resulting in specific uses of writing and reading.
Keywords:
written culture; history of reading; oral language; autodidactism.