"In the Cards": The Material Textuality of Tarotological Reading

Abstract:This article examines deep-seated relationships that inextricably bind the material makeup of divinatory card decks to their multifarious literacy functions. Unpacking the deceptive underlying complexities in these objects requires both an ontological analysis of their multicultural rootedness and a speculative exploration of their propensity for memetic adaptation. The concept of "reading" cards as textual objects has typically existed on the fringes of Western literacy paradigms. In reality, however, considering the rather commonplace use of pedagogical objects such as alphabet cards and flash cards, the practice of reading cards should be recognized for its considerable role in literacy instruction. In looking at visual elements and sources shared between playing cards and the tarot—specifically, those that combine to form their visual lexicon—this article provides a contemporary survey of how, through its derivatives, the materiality of tarotological print cultures create diverse acts of reading. Discussed are card symbolism, the alchemical amalgamation of visual allegory, allegorical textuality in esoterica, and the transchronological hybridity in these cards as a counternarrative to illusory models of ethnic purity in European material culture.