Author Archives: bgrell

For week four we are reading some interesting articles about the history of writing, data collecting, and manuscripts. As I read through the first article, I found it fascinating how far we truly have come in communication in various forms. Things such as knot records and notches are so primitive yet very clever for the time period. We as a human race new if there was a will there was a way in terms of complete writing and we made due with what knowledge we had. I also found it fascinating to think of how far mnemonics went back in time. When I think of mnemonics, I think of mnemonic devices such as “I before E, excepts after C” or “double the D, double the S, and you will always have success.” But back in times of Homo erectus, mnemonic devices were just notches on stones and trees that acted as information storage. Another thing that comes to mind while reading this article is how visual the information had to be recorded in order for it to be understood. Now of course this is how it had to be done in the early era of the history of writing, but I find it interesting that now in modern times, many of us need simplified visuals to really get the information we desire locked in our minds.

Adding “if there’s a will, there’s a way mentioned above, the human race eventually needed a way to preserve and distribute newly collected information in a tangible form. This leads us to manuscripts and the production of physical books. After reading this article, I feel that we as a society really take for granted how far we have come in terms of book production. There were so many factors to consider when putting together books 700 years ago. Things such as paper type, paper price, inventory of materials, and writing errors were crucial factors in book production. Sure these are things publishing companies factor in today’s printing processes, but back 700 years ago, this information was make it or break. It was a lot more difficult to fix errors in book production back in those times.

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It is safe to say that everyone has heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood. But have you ever experienced the story in a New Media type of way? By turning Little Red Riding hood into a piece of electronic literature the story is experienced in a whole new way. Dona Leishman’s work “Redridinghood” tells the story in new way by allowing the reading to interact with the text. By showing a lot of animations and using sounds, this electronic literature piece essentially makes the reader interpret the story in the way the author wants it. By reading the print version of the story, your mind can interpret what the setting and characters “might” look like. In Leishman’s version, the characters such as the wolf are animated for you. The music also adds to the overall vibe of the story. This supports McLuhan’s claim that “the extension of any one sense alters the way we think and act the way we perceive the world” (McLuhan pg. 41). I feel that electronic literature is becoming more and more accepted in today’s world. It is arguable that the new media can never replace classic stories such as Little Red Riding Hood. There are always going to be those die hard people that will only read print versions of classics. But this new media is not created to “replace.” It is created rather to “enhance” the story or to give it a different feel. Print books will one day be a thing of the past, but new media will keep their stories alive.

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