this

The modern in this period was a hybrid affair, assembled out of tales about the past as well as narratives of the future

When this was written in 2004, Gee had no perception of the coming revelations in video gaming via. commentaries and youtube playthroughs > dual authorship and shared experience.

CREATING literacy as well as teaching it

yeah screw those guys

FIND OUT ABPUT GEE'S MULTIPLE ROUTES PRINCIPLE

PUZZLES IN LoZ

This use of syntax and grammatical analysis is so so so interesting. I would love to see Shakespeare processed in this way - we know how he plays with language and motif, but his use of grammar is oft overlooked.

I certainly feel that there isn't as much of a distinction between the two practices now - perhaps that's a flaw in my education, or perhaps a strength. What I mean to say, is that in a single reading (especially when assisted by digital media) I often take a longer analysis considering everything, rather than using multiple readings to delve further into the depths of the novel. I feel like this use of technology allows and enhances this - you engage all kinds of reading by being able to see and explore the novel swiftly and through these different visualisations and readings so easily.

Like Shadika says, this is so inaccurate in terms of accessibility, but also when considering the fact that anyone can edit and produce, creating a wider diversity of intellectual wealth. Then, you have to consider the fact that sure, gender, race, class etc. are, undeniably, indeterminable from online readings. However, it is from much literature too. Most people don't know that Arthur Miller was Jewish, taking plays like "The Crucible" as the allegorical pieces that they are, but on a very 2D scale. What is the argument here; that books and journals expose explicitly the "humanity" of the authors?

I never think of this when looking at maps - I suppose it goes to show how used we are to just accepting graphics and visualisation! I think it's interesting too then, to consider in the abstract sense that we are beginning to understand the poor communication of scale in modern world maps - do we now transfer to using the "real scale" maps to more accurately portray things?

I can't decide if this reads as highly sarcastic and ironic or not...

I agree entirely, but then what do we call a game that challenges our very moral perceptions? Our beliefs and ideals and understanding of the world?

@ Novels

This interestingly reminds me of Conway's Game of Life! (Who knows if it is a game according to these standards honestly)

I certainly relate to this argument moreso than the Sims one - Facade is really an experience, and although you can assign yourself the goal of 'keeping them together' it's really a set of algorithms with inevitable outcomes and a little bit of luck.

Throwback to our in class discussion about escapism!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(game) for those who, like me, were woefully uneducated on this.

I'm not sure how I feel about this rigidity... if it was written specifically to be experienced on the computer, that's a different story to saying it can therefore only be experienced that way. That kind of rigidity is why the prejudice and judgement is how it is on digital humanities and novella. We have no conception of the future of literature as of right now.

I find the use of the word portal within digital interactions oddly fascinating, similarly I find "hub" intriguing - both connote this idea of other levels, platforms, transformation and transportation. It says a lot about how we view, and always have viewed technology.

We're barely even on the cusp of defining literary form, let alone digital and game forms. To consider and formally define them is to note their worth and continuty, which many people struggle to do with modern forms

I very much concur with the frustrated tone held here, especially considering my educational background. In England, everything on a syllabus is dictated by one of three core programmes. Teachers don't mark any of our final assessments; all of our exams are forwarded to massive educational warehouses. We don't get our papers back unless we pay to get them back (despite the fact that they are technically our intellectual property) and we have no ability to gain extra credit or form our intelligence outside of formal examination. For someone like me, who struggles greatly in formal sit-down examination, you're really doomed to fail. There is no"play" in British education.

My first instinct was to say "but what about the Sims?", but really if you think about it, they're a bunch of algorithms that live for an average of 2520 minutes and can go to space through looking into a telescope, etc. ... that's definitely at least some form of escapism!

Now this is an idea that I can buy into - as a young student with learning disabilities, I struggled inherently with outlining and verbalising my own opinions, let alone understanding the misconstructed-construction of others, like my professors. There's also the fact that many just don't try in a classroom environment, and to have my failures or those of an apt student posed against and akin to those who simply didn't bother has always been a constant source of frustration and anger for me.

This frustrates me, as the professor, in my eyes, did little/nothing wrong - yes, censorship and moderation is needed in communal projects such as this, and I agree entirely that had this occurred during the day/an accessible time for the professor, it would have wholly become his responsibility to monitor it. However, in lieu of the lateness of the event and his detachment from the students, I think it's more irresponsible to blame him than anything else, as it discredits the will of the student. After all, were a group of students to have a heated, controversial conversation outside of class-time, we would not expect a professor to mediate it from wherever he/she is.

In theory for sure: but much like many great ideologies, this is a flawed argument in its blatant optimism, in my opinion. Professors do, indeed, need to be able to adapt and diversify their teaching in order to expand the students reading and understanding of the subject and, on a grander scale, life. However, the reason interactive whiteboards, tablets and even simple projectors are called teaching assists is for the simple reason that they were created to further and assist educational potential. To deny that they greatly benefit education to the point of modern reliance in the field is to deny that the typewriter revolutionised the physical book.

I would be intrigued to know the meaning behind this reference - perhaps it's to Walter Scott's novel, which re-shaped 19th century genres and literary interests.

An interesting discourse following our consideration of audiobooks resembling printed books - why do we actually need novels to resemble "conventional" physical presentations? I think it's so largely to do with the lack of cultural identity that we have as a society - our music, clothing, art forms; we have nothing original, therefore nothing can or should be.

It's kind of frustrating how long drawn out this description is - I understand the modern necessity to sound as obnoxiously intelligent as possible (point and case there), but this doesn't really say much for a first impression on what Ivanhoe does, just what it means for the academic circle.

I find this very interesting in relation to modern scholarly studies of Melville as somewhat of a mystery and confusion. That is marginalia doesn't illuminate or endear him to us is intriguing.

The glory of functional marginalia as opposed to my haphazard scribblings of "lol" and "relatable"

This seemingly hyperbolic, almost religiously empowered depiction of Delano's bravery is not an entirely obtuse one, seemingly. Papers of the time cite Delano as an hero of the utmost honour, receiving awards and commendation from both the King of Spain and the Chilean government. (Article from the Pensylvania United States’ Gazette (April 21, 1806)

Whilst the events of Benito Cereno take place in 1805 (despite Melville's assertion that it begins in 1799), Melville publishes his consideration of them in 1855. Although 50 years may seem minimal in history, these years were highly formative in the worlds view of slavery and civil rights. Only 5 years before, the Christiana massacre occurred, a case which largely divided and challenged contemporary Americans and their legal system. David R. Forbes considers this in his account of the trial, noting the newspapers emotive, impassioned presentation of the African-Americans engaged in the fray. I can't attach the snippet to support this directly, but it can be found here. Such social shifts undoubtedly effect and morph Melville's narrative and presentation of the legal proceedings in Benito Cereno. (taken from A True Story of the Christiana Riot, http://hl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044018986661)

It is, with an air of frustration and distress, that Benito considers his lack of possession over the slaves upon the ship. Once more, contemporary references tell us the disdain with which many of Melville's readers would have read this concept of ownership and non-sentience in slaves. William Goodell writes in 1853 a critical pamphlet outlining the history of slave culture, law and treatment, ridiculing this notion (shown here and found here

Yet again I'm ahead of the game by commenting upon this last week haha, it's certainly an interesting inclusion in the series to talk about marginalia. One must wonder if JK studied it in her Exeter years.

I love this idea. Having the pleasure of living near some of Banksy's original graffiti works has sculpted how I view commentary and annotation is as much as it turns what is so often considered a brutal act of defacement into a beautiful, delicate and subtle social commentary

And yet in the education system (at least, to my experience) we are encouraged to refrain from book annotation until we are in our early teens, lest the novel be corrupted by our vicious imaginations. Adults spend so much time envying and punishing childlike imagination and then question why the younger generations turn to phones, start acting like adults and become increasingly disenfranchised from their natural ability to create.

I once lovingly drew the queen of hearts in my mum's copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in lipstick. She didn't appreciate the gesture...

I've always loved the idea of books published or released in their original form - not as '1st editions' but as true original copies, typos and all. I've always wanted to look at Tolkein's notes and see his little Icelandic scribbles and the designs of the intricate settings and trinkets that fill his world.

This classification of quality in marginalia is what i've been desperately seeking in the critical texts we've studied - it seems obvious but for the purposes of explaining to those who are unfamiliar with marginalia and the act of annotation (poor, unfortunate souls) it's much easier to be taken seriously when you provide strict boundaries and qualifications for what makes an annotation 'good' and what makes it an irrelevant scribble of a monkey using chopsticks.

As an interesting point of reference, we have several examples of older book forms at Hunter's Library - @jallred if you haven't checked them out already, there's manuscripts from up to 600 years ago, as far as I know!

I love that game narrative is now considered as literature. Some beautiful stories arise from games - point and case in The Last of Us

Can't highlight for some reason, but I like the idea of the desperate need to connect the e-book to previous modes instead of understanding it as independent - bearing in mind that bound novels as we know them are still relatively knew. I'm sure at one stage the 'smell/sound' of scrolls seemed irreplaceable to scholars and scroll-worms alike.

I got tragically excited whilst reading this segment. I have always loved reading things like letters or notes written by authors during/after the composition of their great works as it can say so much about what they would change, or never would, or reflect upon.

I love this idea. Reading a strangers annotations on second-hand books can often be highly illuminating - and funny - too.

I so rarely write in notepads anymore, primarily because they turned into mental scrapyards for the scribbles and abstractions of my mind. So with the stimulus of text, that scrapyard is kinda refined, like having a crane to pick out the good (or semi-ok) thoughts and then polish them off. Even moreso is this done online, honestly, through hypothes.is/social media as my thoughts are outlined so much more eloquently laid out

becomes strange when you annotate something that the author will inevitably see (@Jallred), because there is a certain security in private annotation

in light of the triggering hashtag scandal that's risen in the last few days, one must wonder about the safety of the internet and the communications it allows.

Especially with the increase in "reactability" on facebook now - still no dislike button though!

The aspect of the novel which we have discussed so far is the narrator’s continual endeavor to stimulate the reader’s mind through extensive commentaries on the actions of the characters.

This again reminds me of Calvino - so little is focussed on the actions of others and more so on the interactions between the narrator - you - and so a really unique discourse is formed. It almost self-annotates, especially in the preface in which Calvino seems to almost magically know exactly what you are doing, and in an attempt to change the discourse of the book, you rebel against it. It's almost an act of physical annotation, in my mind, because you're interacting with the book in a whole new dimension. Might be getting to hyped about the word annotation though...

Vanity Fair has as the subtitle, A Novel without a Hero, which indicates that the characters are not regarded as representing an ideal, exemplary form of human conduct, as established by the conventions of the eighteenth-century novel. Instead, the reader’s interest is divided between two figures who, despite the contrast in their behavior, can under no circumstances be regarded as complementary or even corrective.

This reminded me, perhaps obscurely, of Italo Calvino's If On A Winter's Night A Traveller - the real 'narrator' of the story, be that you or the unnamed 'protagonist', isn't really a hero, he is almost a suggester.

The first stage in our discussion must be to modify the term ‘author’. We should distinguish, as Wayne Booth does in his Rhetoric of Fiction , between the man who writes the book (author), the man whose attitudes shape the book (implied author), and the man who communicates directly with the reader (narrator): ‘‘The ‘implied author’ chooses, consciously or unconsciously, what we read; . . . he is the sum of his own choices. . . . This implied author is always distinct from the ‘real man’ – whatever we may take him to be – who creates a superior version of himself, a ‘second self ’, as he creates his work.’’ The narrator, of course, is not always to be identified with the implied author.

I find this so interesting considering authors who write under a pseudonym, as well as authors who contort or abbreviate their name so as to conceal gender, ethnicity or background. We are so fascinated and obsessed in the modern age with context and meaning, and less with the experience of reading. I often wonder if online texts which don't include biographies of authors or do not make their names so apparent directly affect our readings of their novels.

And so the novel as a form in the eighteenth century is shaped by the dialogue that the author wishes to conduct with his reader. This simulated relationship gives the reader the impression that he and the author are partners in discovering the reality of human experience. In this reader-oriented presentation of the world, one can see an historical reflection of the period when the possibility of a priori knowledge was refuted, leaving fiction as the only means of supplying the insight into human nature denied by empirical philosophy.

Another reason I find Defoe's work so interesting. I won't pretend Robinson Crusoe was an easy nor enjoyable read, but upon reflection I find his discourse and fictional discussion with the reader interesting - by "lying" to them and creating what is considered the earliest fictional novel, can we consider the relationship between the contemporary reader as at all similar to the historic readers? (Slightly confusing point I suppose, it's difficult to verbalise)

considered themselves not merely as the creators of their works but also as the law-makers

I found this interesting in terms of the earliest novelist, oft-times credited as the father of the modern novel - Defoe. He really irked people by writing what presented itself as a true account of a shipwrecked man, and many discredited him as a liar and not as a novelist. At least, that's how I was taught it last year. I almost am beginning to view this kind of adaptation of real events/realistic events as a kind of annotation of real life (Thanks, Allred399)

Point 6 on the quality of text

cough cough 50 shades of Grey cough cough

In particular, the tendency must be avoided to say that the work is classic, the text avant-garde.

I had a whole 4 week topic on the nature of 'classic' last year, on what makes a 'text' classic, and our bastardisation of the word. A book can be released in 2010 and be published as a penguin 'classic' where one assumes it means an older, well loved piece.

in our conception of language

lol idk wth u r talkin abt

(couldn't resist)

One must wonder how many faults and holes in the narrative of history are caused by faulty annotation or citation... d'oh.

Or, colour coded sticky notes. Yay!

had to google this, and so for future/shared reference: a collection of literary extracts; an anthology.... so nothing to do with flowers.

The first method, epitomeor abridgment, entails summarizing or paraphrasing the original text or texts. These notes, generally presented in the order of the text from which they were produced, are often called adversaria. The second method is to select passages of interest for their content or their style, which are copied and sorted under a thematic or topical heading to facilitate retrieval.

I'd never even dreamed that there were names for what I had always considered semi-idle scribbling. Must we label everything?

Note Taking as an Art of TransmissionAnn BlairNote taking constitutes a central but often hidden phase in the trans-mission of knowledge. Notes recorded from reading or experience typicallycontribute to one’s conversation and compositions, from which others candraw in turn in their own thinking and writing, thus perpetuating a cycleof transmission and transformation of knowledge, ideas, and experiences

I found this interesting as an opening statement, as I have often treated notation as a private, personal thing; throughout high school I annotated in code and abbreviation for my own reference, not expecting anyone to use them or even find them of any interest.

The knot here given to Delano is suggested to be symbolic of a Gordian Knot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot), an impossible, mythical puzzle so intricate, complex and incomprehensible that it nearly thwarts Alexander the Great. The metaphor proposed by this allusion not only harkens to the complexity of the plot and the narrative, but additionally cutting off archaic or historic ties, beginning new eras and ending the old.

Much like its counterpart Bartleby, The Scrivener, the protagonist is not the "focal character" (in this case, Delano), but instead the titular Benito Cereno. There are many comparisons to be drawn between the two stories on social commentary, passivity, ignorance and business, however one striking difference is in the opening tone and mystery of Benito Cereno. There is no inclination of the outcome of the story, of setting up characters or long drawn out backgrounds and the tone is entirely unclear. This perpetuates the air of conflict and the enigma surrounding Melville's opinion and outlook on slavery and racism, suggesting the idea of its corruption 100 years before the civil rights movement.

Whilst I cannot find the direct quote due to short-notice and poverty, Warner Berthoff has likened the multiplicity of layers and understanding in Benito Cereno to a Riddle - one must hear/read it twice, having learned or determined the answer, to spot the clues and suggestions that lead them there.

This finalises in the eyes of Cereno, Delano and indeed the reader the power and prowess of Babo over his white counterparts. His brain and abilities clearly supersede his physical 'limitations' (for lack of a better word) and his ethnicity. His final choice, his refusal to speak, finally shows his possession over his own body, contrary to his prior position as a slave. Whether or not this is Melville's attempt to justify and empower somewhat positively the rebellion and identity of the slaves or a technique to emphasise how formidable Babo is as a villain, is unclear, and remains to be seen, even today.

Despite the connotations and easy assumption that this ending means that Cereno followed Aranda into death, with him being his ranking leader, the heavy weighting on the control Babo has over Cereno in addition to the proximity of their deaths suggests a duality in Cereno's existence - he is, by all intensive purposes, a servant to two masters.

With the recent increase of reactions and emoji functions on Facebook statuses, I think it's so crucial to remember the worth of such simple interactions as part of the online authorial process

I remember my sheer amazement when I first used GoogleDocs and showed it to my friends with whom I was doing a group project. I swear by it now, using it over Word.

I certainly have found throughout my life, growth and educational journey that with the increase of social media enabling young people to have more of a voice in the socio-economical fields, academically there are more organic comments made, and less fearfulness when it comes to questioning and critiquing authors.

Goes back to Liu - dual authorship is abundant, and is ever multiplying in layers, adding author upon author.

In as much as to break a spine, fold a page, spill coffee or scuff the cover is.

I know so many students that can't afford to buy a full textbook and resort to using sticky notes to annotate so as to not deface rental books. Online resources unsullied by physical annotations eradicate so many issues with physical copies, rented or otherwise. It's a shame that the reluctance to use them is so writhe in education.

hadn't thought about this in terms of annotations, but I suppose to caption something is another form of annotation.

This is very interesting in terms of the audiobook produced by Kate, Shadika, Niurkalis, and Ari. So impressed by the innovation there, restricted only by the realms of funding and college. I would love to see a full-scale project based on their ingenuity. Props to you guys again!

I've actually had full arguments about this - even J-STOR is rife with student-written, unfounded and bias articles that ill-inform students when referencing them. Wikipedia provides basic, reliable and easy information, and at the very least should be used for common knowledge facts and profiles. But that's just my lazy student opinion.

I'm always so bemused at people who don't annotate. Even if it's just one word, reminding yourself of a response/interpretation of a passage or even a sentence can be vital to understanding a novel/text.

Very meta to think about books about annotating in books. Perhaps a stretch, but take the "Half Blood Prince" of the HP series - goes to show the extensiveness of the universe of annotations.

So funny that this is mentioned here, I was reading a monk's complaints about the quality of parchment in a margin just the other day!

This serves only to further my interest in this idea of sensory experiences of literature. Obviously braille is now widely used on public transport, food packaging, books and in residential apartment buildings, but this vibrating sheet idea advances even moreso on this idea of touch and literature.

It's so interesting to me to physically imagine an aural event as a dually visual one, that we then can only experience through reading. The multitude of layers that go into documenting fact and fiction in life should mean that the relationship between aural, oral and literary experiences should be closer, however there is constantly this dichotomy between sensory experiences and classicism.

THIS. This is why I think audiobooks can revolutionise reading, especially for those impatient and learning impaired like myself. It's so important to remember that regardless of your position in regards to audiobooks and literature that not everyone agrees. Reading can be the simplest joy, but you have to know how to listen too.

I like the sense of personal nostalgia here. I personally don't have the vinyl/walkman experience so it's nice hearing about the functionality, reality and sensory experience of listening to early-days audiobooks.

Ah, the endless dichotomy. I certainly feel that more classicists need to ask themselves this - regardless of the answer, it reminds people of the distinct joy of each.

Familiar though his name may be to us, the storyteller in his living immediacy is by no means a present force. He has already become something remote from us and something that is getting even more distant

This captured me so instantly. The conflict between this concept and the modern author is so apparent, for now the storyteller is subject to dual authorship when interacting online. They shall always be separate in their originality, but the academic and the author are growing ever closer to our consciousness, if not our physicallity

Now that Nancy’s murder has caught your ear, let me assure you that this is not another account from an ear-witness to one of the nearly 500 public readings given by Dickens to audiences across England and America.

Does anyone else feel great conflict and disorientation at envisioning listening to Nancy's murder by reading to someone writing about listening to it?

However, with a physical, action-driven scene such as this, it is difficult to argue that nothing is lost; on the one hand, you hear Nancy's murder and are forced to visualise it differently to how you may under the influence of physical representation, however someone who is not entirely focussed, imaginative or even experienced with the text may struggle in a way they would not with visual prompts, be they textual or physical

Having both seen and read this scene in a variety of platforms, I concur, however importance is also to be placed on the reader themselves, the format in which they read the piece as well as the actors, set and production of the visual-audio performance.

This, for me, is one of the most critical developments in online production. In time, if not already, this function negates the necessity for lengthly chains of e-mails exchanging drafts and edits, and could drastically speed and expand the production of literature.

as juvenile as this may be, I do question the transition of 1 > 1.5 > 2? what about the progression suggests increments of half-change? Yes, 2 is entirely different to 1, but what dictates that 1.5 is merely a mid-point between the two? In it's own right, Web 1.5 was revolutionary, as it coincided with the early stages of frequent domestic use (at least, in my household and knowledge!)

I find this interesting in terms of pop culture, as it forces one to consider when posting something online if/how they would present this idea in a physical setting? The 21st century 'social computing' is essentially characterized by the abundance of keyboard warriors, renowned for their assumed inability to convey such ideas publicly. But, do they add or subtract from the co-authorship community in this sense?