Chris Schedler, English 134NA (Weaving Webs) Study Materials: Class 29 Notes

English 134NA
Notes for Class 29

This page contains materials intended only to facilitate class discussion (excerpts from online reading materials, outlines of issues, links to resources that may be mentioned in class, etc.). The materials are not the same as the instructor's notes for the class and are thus not designed to represent the full exposition or logic of the class.

Kathleen E. B. Manley, "Decreasing the Distance"

2 major differences between oral and written art:

fixity of text
immediacy of audience
Native American writers use techniques to create an audience as for oral performance:

repetition
narratives within narratives
circular design
contextualize the text (cultural, geographic)
2nd person narration
multiple narrators
reader participation
Hypertext creates audience as for oral performance (2 types of hypertext):

exploratory (contextualizes the text)
constructive (reader participates in constructing the text)
Difference between hypertext and oral performance = hypertext remains visual

Craig Howe, "Cyberspace is No Place for Tribalism"

4 Dimensions of tribalism:

Spatial (land as fundamental to tribal identity)
Social (tribalism concerned with distinctive identity and sovereignty of groups)
Spiritual (tribalism depends on moral and ethical standards, differential access to power and proprietary knowledge)
Experiential (tribalism is practiced, lived, full-sensory experience)

Global Village of Cyberspace:

Locating identity in particular geographical space is impossible
Collection of anonymous individuals without long-term shared histories
Condones equal and immediate access to all information (treated as secular)
Only allows for digital audio and visual interactions