Introducing... |
Some foundational quotes |
In Imagined Communities:
Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (rev. ed.,
New York: Verso, 1991), Benedict Anderson argues that very large
communities are formed simply by the act of reading
similar materials, like these people depicted in this image:
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These questions gave rise to this Course Description: |
"If it�s on the screen, I can�t take it into the
tub!" This is the main cry of bibliophiles everywhere against
literature�s digitization. Should we hoard all of our paperbacks,
even those that fell into the tub? Will the Internet, Web,
hypertexts and born-digital overtake and render obsolete our
treasured and well-marked books? Will blogging, emailing, wiki-ing,
even Facebooking destroy the English language with its abbreviated
syntax and visual culture? And, what of all the world�s literary
treasures? Will Google possess them all in their archives and render
the material object obsolete? Even as we become more digital, we are
not experiencing a new anxiety.
With the evolution of print technology in the early nineteenth century, authors, reviewers and publishers began descrying the ease with which someone could call himself or herself an "author." However, the evolution of language, the dissemination of print materials, the creation of a larger community has always been part of the human condition. Now, we call it social networking, an atmosphere in which readers become users as well as authors and a time when we can respond to each other virtually but in real time. So, what does this mean for Literature and the literary? In this course, we will explore the impact of Web 2.0 on our literary culture by tapping into our own existing digital literacy. We will explore, intellectualize and critically examine the content creation in these social spaces � even the creation of fiction and poetry as digitally-enhanced, multiple authored texts. After all, didn�t Dickens do this when he altered the conclusion of Great Expectations three times to suit his fans? |
Questions to ponder throughout the semester |
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Where we begin... |
Our first session focused on questions about aesthetics,
visual objects, art, social media, narrative, and digital presence.
We concluded our meeting with "Pulp Fiction as Typography" (some
graphic language):
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