volatile texts
starfish and coffee (afm2u@faraday.clas.virginia.edu)
Thu, 31 Oct 1996 22:59:41 -0500 (EST)
sorry that i havent gotten this up until now...my excuse is valid but how
i hate excuses.
i think one of the most important concepts in jerome mcgann's Radiant
Textuality is that of integration. i know this was a big concept in one
of the articles we read for last week, but it seems to hold a lot more
weight in the argument that mcgann is making for "scholarly" criticism.
integration shapes the beauty of the net as a new medium for such
scholarly work. mcgann outlines this radiance as he describes the
transformation in what is considered intellectual in the literary field.
perhaps what struck me the most is that not only has hypertext provided a
new medium through which literary works can be implemented, but has also
made it a lot harder for a scholar to be considered scholarly.
mcgann's rosetti archive is an ideal example of the scholarly use of
integration...(go figure...) it is history through which a sort of re-
history can be derived. it is a resource that is fueled from other
resources, and can direct the reader immediately there...kind of like an
interactive bibliography--sources when, in print, would most likely be
overlooked. thus work exposes more work, possibly new, potential work that
has yet to be uncovered. similarly, with hypermedia evidence can be
presented as part of the argument. criticism on the web is therefore a
leap from what it once was in printed form--rather than focus on reader
response, hyper-criticism relies mainly on writer engagement.
mcgann called electronic text "volatile." quite appropriate, i think, if
you consider that with this new mode of relating literary criticism, there
are no boundaries.
all works become "works in progress," perpetually unfinished.
so what does this mean?
(couldnt neglect the sowhatdoesitmean, now, could we?)
I think it means precisely what mcgann predicts--this is a new mode of
scholarliness. it is literary FORM at its best--the flexibility is
infinite...kind of an ordered chaos.
a few things we might want to discuss in class:
*What impact will the "unfinishedness" of electronic criticism have
on scholarly work in general?
*mcgann says that this mode of writing mirrors the hypothetical structure
of knowledge--"knowledge as a continual pursuit rather than an achieved
condition." this seems to encompass the lack of closure we've discussed
before. does this mean that those people who desire closure dont pursue
knowledge in the right manner?
*look at some of the issues of postmodern culture where hypermedia is
utilized.(i.e. september 1994) (youll probably be restricted to video
clips unless youve got a
fancy schmancy sound machine.) what effect do you think such resources
will have on criticism in the future? Papers for college classes,perhaps?
would being confined strictly to electronic media pose any restrictions on
scholarly work?
*flexible learning...mcgann uses this phrase to describe the benefits of
hypermedia to both the esteemed and the not-so-esteemed scholars. but how
flexible are we to learning?
thats all i have to say about that.
ansley
**********************
"Be careful when fighting monsters, lest ye become a monster yourself; and
if you look into an abyss long enough, the abyss will also look into you."
-Nietzsche