Debbie's Blog for Feb. 26

I really enjoyed reading "Disappearing Rain" for this week.  Perhaps I am getting more comfortable reading and analyzing and flowing with electronic literature.  I still was not able to locate or get to a satisfying conclusion, but I was struck by some of the themes and the building of the plot.  I thought it was interesting that a character disappears and the only traces of her hidden life are a couple of creepy "love" letters her sister finds.  The feelings of obsession and losing one's self in technology mirror some of my concerns about technology.  The use of web cams serve as a rather narcissistic way of watching the world and yet not really participating in it.  Sophie says at one point that web cams "keep track of someone's soul."  I found that line very revealing in a dark way.

I also enjoyed working on Google docs over the weekend.  Again a new experience for me, one I should have tried much sooner, but I found it very creative and easy to do.  I was able to collect some images and attach a web site to a document.  I think using Google docs for future assignments will be a challenge for me, but accessible as well.

Elit Class Week of 2/19

Thoroughly enjoyed discussing 12 Blue in class last week.  Very interesting, inspiring, and liberating the different approaches and different reactions to the piece.  As a result, my exploration of new genres was done with more confidence (nothing broke) and more playfulness.  I admit to an ongoing feeling of disappointment that I am never able to come to a conclusion in any of the journeys I have taken thus far.   This week I continued to explore Hypertext with "A Show of Hands" in vol 2 as well as "Faith" in Music and under Visual Poetry or Narrative "Dawn" and "Accounts of the Glass Sky".  I enjoyed how music was layered into the meaning of the pieces.  I also enjoyed the deliberate journey the pieces took me on unlike 12 Blue where I had to keep choosing the thread.  The use of text and the laying of music with images added to the overall appeal for me especially in "Faith".  In "Dawn" the images reminded me of my childhood and the woods in my backyard.

For the future assignment I was thinking of a series of letters sent between two people who form a bond  through a love of poetry.  They live in two very different worlds, but meet and exchange opinions and passions through letters.  (A bit old-fashioned, but possibly an interesting juxtaposition to the electronic world we are exploring)  The two people never meet, but explore and exchange different thoughts on poetry, love, art, and life.  Their views seem to be very different and in opposition to the other, but each person senses behind the letters deep appreciation.  Despite disagreements and hurt feelings the two continue to exchange letters.

Perhaps I am missing the point of the unique and very creative intentions behind electronic literature because I attempted to lay over top the reading of Twelve Blue an approach I encourage my students to use.  The story's use of threads or yarns as a way to move through the story reminded me of my advice to kids to look for patterns within an author's writing whether it be one piece or his life's work.  I started reading Twelve Blue by only clicking on the yellow thread.  I thought consistency would provide continuity within the story's characters and events.  The yellow thread initially provided (3 screens) some "sense", but soon I found myself reading about new people and new events with no apparent connections.  I thoroughly enjoyed the author's descriptions of setting and emotions (less so the plot) because I found the descriptions poetic and provocative. The further I went into Twelve Blue via the yellow thread the more confused I became, however.  For my second attempt with the  reading, I clicked on only threads whose arch was upwards; I was curious to see if the upwards arc meant a more positive or uplifting trend in the events.  (In school we are reading Macbeth Acts 4 and 5 and everyone is dying.  A little positive energy seemed a good idea to me.)  This reading approach created more chaos then my first strategy, and I kept finding the story would circle back to previously viewed screens.  I am energized by the author's creativity and the "how" behind writing a story electronically, but I kept fluctuating between my teaching style of trying to figure out how I could help students access this piece and my own reader response of "am I doing this right?".   Pressman's article commented on the difficulty of reading electronic literature in the classroom;  she pointed out how one reads and interacts is to a great extent determined by how one navigates a reading.  I chose two different navigational approaches and received two very different experiences.  I am assuming the different experiences will hold true for every person taking Electronic Literature and reading Twelve Blue.  In a classroom a discussion of Twelve Blue with 30 different experiences occurring would be difficult, but also exciting as each reader tries to "push" for his understanding.  Perhaps freedom of exploration is ultimately the point of Twelve Blue.  Wasn't it Emily Dickinson who said, "Much madness is divinest sense, much sense divinest madness..."Debbie JeffriesDebbie Jeffries

First Post - Feb. 5

Lots of play and exploration of electronic literature genres.