I’m making progress with my print, so much so that hopefully I’ll finish it early. Even if I don’t, there’s a lot of buffer time that means it won’t affect my timeline if I make a mistake or something happens. I have a lowkey weekend so I’m hoping to relax a bit, but also use the time to work on said print! This is the first time in a while where I actually don’t feel too panicked going into the last week of classes… Hopefully the feeling continues!
What’s your Major?
Because this class serves both the english major and the digital studies minor, we have a special opportunity to hear from both ends of the spectrum in regards to this digital vs. print discussion. I find a lot of value in both and cannot say I am one-sided on the issue. I am a digital studies minor and I am not great at finding hidden context or references, so hyperlinks and more insight is helpful for me, but I see a lot of value and have a lot of admiration for those who excel in close-reading and can dive into the materal on a much different level. I have an extreme appreciation for our class discussions because of the chance to hear from so many perspectives and personalities.
Junie B. Jones: How Digital Reading Affects Writing
I didn’t get a chance to bring this up in class today because other people were so willing to fill the silent space in conversation and the conversation didn’t really lead to my response, but as a creative writing major I naturally thought about how the way I read online may affect the way I write. When I am writing a creative piece I tend to stick to shorter sentences, smaller scenes, and I usually struggle to make page count. I wonder if this is because I am used to reading for the gist of the story rather than for the details present in close reading. I think it would have been interesting if Hayles talked about this affect of digital reading in her article too.
Progress
I officially began work on my Final Project yesterday and I’m hopeful and optimistic about the end result. Of course, Step 1 is barely anything to have completed, but it’s still more than I had prior to yesterday! It also means I’m on the right track in terms of progress. My goal for today is to have my silkscreen coated and then left to set. Also if I’m really feeling ambitious, then I’ll start making my transparency in order to make the stencil this weekend. Fingers crossed all goes well!
Close Reading
I think that close reading is a skill that has to be developed over the years. It’s why we push reading programs for children, especially over the summer, so that they can keep developing their skills. We do this so that by the time they get to high school they can start fully developing these close reading skills and be better prepared for college when they need to be able to quickly read and analyze text every day.
I think that it is 100% possible to read too much into a text. If you over analyze a text, you will end up missing what the author intended for you to take away. If you think too much into it, you could end up changing your perception of whatever you are reading and changing it to whatever lens you came into the text with.
Dear Diary 600
Dear Diary,
For my final project, I decided to explore the end of reading. Seeing as Emily Dickinson is my sister, I personally don’t believe the end is near, but I have noticed a strong decline in the way people read. Gone are the days where we read newspaper articles to get the news. I have been told that in the future, many get their news strictly through headlines with little bits of information via twitter.
I’ll keep you updated on my research since much of it is going to be from the future.
Until next time,
Maria
Thinking about “The Book”
My pen pal Sarah has been writing nonstop about her senior seminar paper! Everyday, I go to the library and find more messages she has sent me about this “return of paper” topic she has chosen to write about. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy communicating with my new friend, but yeesh! You’d think a girl has more to talk about than some homework!
Anyway, there have been some interesting things she has told me about that have got me thinking about my books, my library, and my deep seated fears of books being made “obsolete” (if you remember my earlier ramblings about that Twilight Zone episode that had me all in a tizzy).
From what I’ve gathered, Sarah strongly believes that books will never go extinct, no matter what advancements are made in the digital world. She claims that books will forever remain an integral part of culture and art. Furthermore, the appeal of “bookishness” will never be met by any digital means. She also says that many of the other students in her class feel the same way.
This gives me a good deal of comfort. If there are young people in the upcoming generations that feel this way, then old folks like me don’t need to worry so much about books being done away with.
PS: My new neighbor “Mr. Zampano” remains at the top of my suspect list as to who sent me that mysterious letter. He stays cooped up in his house and the only time he goes out is early in the morning before the sun rises. Then, he only walks up and down the street a few times, squinting into the windows of all the other houses (I know this because I’ve been spying on him with my bird watching binoculars, which I’ve never used until now because bird watching is a ridiculous hobby. They are much better suited for spying on neighbors). Although, the neighborhood cats do seem to like him, and animals are usually a good judge of character.
Surprise!
I’ve spent today working on ideas for my print for my Final Project and I think it’s coming along swimmingly! I’m excited to see how it will turn out, because art like this tends to be a surprise! I don’t want to give away too much because not only do I want it to be a surprise for myself, but I want my peers to be surprised when it’s their turn to receive the print.
Hopefully though, it will turn out how I imagine. And if not, I suppose I will be alright with that too 🙂
Junie B. Jones: How I Read
It’s hard not to think about how you are currently reading as you read an article titled “How We Read” about the differences in the way read print versus digital texts. I found that a lot of what the article discussed was true. My attention span is shorter online. I think it’s partly because staring at a screen hurts my eyes more than staring at a page. But the distractions embedded online are certainly the largest reason why reading digital texts are harder than print. Even though the article was a pdf with no links, images, or interactive content, I still found myself getting distracted. I took several breaks to check Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and after each section I allowed myself to watch one YouTube video as a reward for getting through it. Why do I need to reward myself for getting though a section that is only a few pages long? I also found myself reaching for a snack perhaps because my hands weren’t occupied with holding open a book since I was reading on my laptop which can stay open on its own and only needs a short flick of the finger to move to the next page. One thing is for sure, I am definitely a distracted reader online.
Yay for The Page Matters
I AM SO GLAD PROFESSOR WHALEN PROVIDED US WITH THIS ARTICLE. Not only does it speak volumes to me because of my love for print text and discomfort with technology, but I think it highlights the value of the tangible artifact itself. The pages can be just as much art as the text on/inside them can. That is part of the reason I was so destroyed when my books were destroyed in the fire. I am also excited because this is the topic of my paper!!! So now I can add another FANTASTIC reference to my bibliography!
-Library of Alexandria
