Blog 6: Literature and the Internet

The last few texts that we're reading are all in some ways influenced by changes in how people read. In particular, the evolving role of technology in people's lives has led to changes in the way people get, process, and create sources of information. Discuss the ways that, in your opinion, literacy (and literature) have changed as technology becomes more advanced. In other words, what's the connection between literature and technology?

Blog 5: Reading Patchwork Girl

Discuss your reading so far of Patchwork Girl. Have you ever read a hypertext novel before? Are you having difficulty navigating through the story? Is a coherent narrative unfolding or is it unclear what the plot, characters, setting, themes, etc of the story are? How is reading the hypertext novel similar and/or different from reading a traditional novel? What strategies are you using to work through the unusual format of the story?

Blog 4: Women and Children

In both novels we've read so far, women and children have played a key role in the expression of horror. Men, though present in the stories, have been less involved (and perhaps less susceptible) to the horror presented in the narratives. Furthermore, the trends of women and children as having clear connections to the supernatural/monsters/unexplained continues in both film and literature. Discuss the reasons you think that women and children are such a prevalent site for horror. How does gender and/or age influence the portrayal or presence in horror? What ideological (societal, theoretical, etc.) issues are raised when women and children are most intimately acquainted with the monstrous?

Blog 3: Style

James' The Turn of the Screw and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House are similar stories in many ways. They share similar protagonists, settings, and plot points. Both stories are about young women who move away from their family homes into haunted isolated estates.

Written over 60 years apart (1898 and 1959, respectively), the novels are written in very different styles. Discuss the writing styles of the two novels. Which novel was easier to read? Why? Consider elements such as sentence structure, page layout, amount of dialogue, etc. How much does an author's style influence your enjoyment and understanding of a novel?