ABSTRACT
The introduction of the typewriter introduced a new body into the process of textual production, that of the typewriter operator. But as much as this body was used to exhibit types, so to speak, from the popular imaginary of feminine sexuality, its labor put a premium on its material corporeality. Typing thus emerges as a corporealization of the letter; the alphabet substantiates itself as a repertoire of bodily sensations. Typewriting manuals and typewriter advertisements clearly had these problems in mind when they emphasized the cultivation of speed and accuracy in typewriting, yet typewriter error had more complex implications. More commonly, the typist's body was subject to the discipline of industrial hygiene. When typists made mistakes, they undermined the reputation of a firm by making documents look "unprofessional", while time expended to correct typographical errors affronted efficiency. Errors sometimes even stymied the communicative function of documents by confusing the meaning of a text.
