2.03.2004
I've found much of the reading material we've been exposed to so far in ENG 3070 extremely interesting. As background, I'm rather interested in some forms of so-called "old media" and have made one of those forms -- radio -- my profession for the last six years. However, partly because of this, I've been somewhat sheltered from "new media" if only when it comes to first hand experience.
When reading Gibson, Dibbell, Barlow and the others, I've found myself being drawn into the other plane of existence of which they all speak, whether it be called cyberspace, the matrix or VR. I've found myself thinking about this concept with somewhat of a childlike wonderment, almost like reading tales of Smurfs and dragons at age four. My biggest challenge, I think, after, and because I saw the material with such innocence (and ignorance) is being able to now view the works with a critical eye.
My favorite work we, as a class, have come across so far is "My Boyfriend Came Back from the War." I was really stunned by how ambiguous the whole story was, in terms of dialogue, sexuality, motivation and emotion. Initially, I was skeptical about a work that put so much onus on the reader (or viewer) to determine what direction the story was taking. However, after I went through it many times, I began to see the (potential for) richness in that concept. Really, it's not extremely far removed from conventional literature in that it simply lays out the stars for the reader, and it is up to him or her to find the constellation, so to speak. Granted, Lialina's stars (continuing with the metaphor) are much more scarce than, say, James Joyce's, but that increases the impact of the interactive aspect of hyperfiction.
Neuromancer I'm still unsure about. I enjoyed bits and pieces, but to be frank, I think it was too busy. I have much respect for it as a groundbreaking novel of its genre (especially understanding that it was written 20 years ago), but as a piece of literature as a whole..... like I said, I'm unsure.
"A Rape in Cyberspace" I thoroughly enjoyed. Dibbell did a wonderful job of putting a literary spin on some of the ideas of, or rather debates involving, Barlow and Bennahum. That is, what are the lines between RL and VR? Who draws them? How democratic is cyberspace? How democratic should it be? And, most interesting to me was, what happens to one's psychological makeup as one dives deeper into cyberspace? Do our thoughts, ideas, ideals change because of our new surroundings? And which characteristics do we bring with us from RL to VR (revenge, justice, indiscretion, a predatory nature)? And which do we leave behind?
When reading Gibson, Dibbell, Barlow and the others, I've found myself being drawn into the other plane of existence of which they all speak, whether it be called cyberspace, the matrix or VR. I've found myself thinking about this concept with somewhat of a childlike wonderment, almost like reading tales of Smurfs and dragons at age four. My biggest challenge, I think, after, and because I saw the material with such innocence (and ignorance) is being able to now view the works with a critical eye.
My favorite work we, as a class, have come across so far is "My Boyfriend Came Back from the War." I was really stunned by how ambiguous the whole story was, in terms of dialogue, sexuality, motivation and emotion. Initially, I was skeptical about a work that put so much onus on the reader (or viewer) to determine what direction the story was taking. However, after I went through it many times, I began to see the (potential for) richness in that concept. Really, it's not extremely far removed from conventional literature in that it simply lays out the stars for the reader, and it is up to him or her to find the constellation, so to speak. Granted, Lialina's stars (continuing with the metaphor) are much more scarce than, say, James Joyce's, but that increases the impact of the interactive aspect of hyperfiction.
Neuromancer I'm still unsure about. I enjoyed bits and pieces, but to be frank, I think it was too busy. I have much respect for it as a groundbreaking novel of its genre (especially understanding that it was written 20 years ago), but as a piece of literature as a whole..... like I said, I'm unsure.
"A Rape in Cyberspace" I thoroughly enjoyed. Dibbell did a wonderful job of putting a literary spin on some of the ideas of, or rather debates involving, Barlow and Bennahum. That is, what are the lines between RL and VR? Who draws them? How democratic is cyberspace? How democratic should it be? And, most interesting to me was, what happens to one's psychological makeup as one dives deeper into cyberspace? Do our thoughts, ideas, ideals change because of our new surroundings? And which characteristics do we bring with us from RL to VR (revenge, justice, indiscretion, a predatory nature)? And which do we leave behind?
