From Papyrus to Hypertext: Toward the Universal Digital Library (Topics in the Digital Humanities) - Softcover

Vandendorpe, Christian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0252076257 ISBN 13: 9780252076251

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 2009

Synopsis

In this study, Christian Vandendorpe examines how digital media and the Internet have changed the process of reading and writing, significantly altering our approaches toward research and reading, our assumptions about audience and response, and our theories of memory, legibility, and context. Reflecting on the full history of the written word, Vandendorpe provides a clear overview of how materiality makes a difference in the creation and interpretation of texts.

Surveying the conventions of reading and writing that have appeared and disappeared in the Internet's wake, Vandendorpe considers various forms of organization, textual design, the use (and distrust) of illustrations, and styles of reference and annotation. He also examines the novel components of digital texts, including hyperlinks and emoticons, and looks at emergent, collaborative genres such as blogs and wikis, which blur the distinction between author and reader. Looking to the future, reading and writing will continue to evolve based on the current, contested trends of universal digitization and accessibility.

About this title

About the Author

Christian Vandendorpe is professor of lettres françaises at the University of Ottawa. His publications include Les défis de la publication sur le web: hyperlectures, cybertextes et méta-éditions and other works. Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott live and translate in Montreal, Quebec.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0252076257
• ISBN 13: 9780252076251
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208