Welcome to the course archive for the Fall 2008 version ENGL 343 (Textual Media). The class is long over, but much of our online activity is archived here. You can start off with the course guidelines and calendar and move on to some interesting posts by (now former) ENGL 343 students.
Author: Professor Sample
Hegirascope on Web 2.0
As I described in class today, we’re going to be doing a social experiment with Hegirascope using Web 2.0 tools. The idea is to create a trail of virtual breadcrumbs through a short reading of Hegirascope, in which you leave Post-It Note style annotations on each page you read.
Reading Hegirascope
Because reading Hegirascope can be a maddening experience, I thought I’d give you some tips.
First, if you’re really confused, take some time to read Stuart Moulthrop’s introduction to the work. But if you’re feeling adventurous, dive right in.
The first couple screens will flash by automatically, but you’ll shortly see a page with several hyperlink choices. Choose whatever you want and keep exploring. Do read carefully what is on the screen and do think about the choices you make. At a minimum, spend at least 30 minutes with Hegirascope.
While you’re reading the work, take note of any individual pages that really interest you. Bookmark them or jot down the URL (just the last part of the URL is all you need, say, HGS084.html).
I’d like each student to come into class on Tuesday with the name and address of three pages from Hegirascope that he or she finds particularly key to the work as a whole. Be prepared to talk about what you think the text on these three pages mean, both literally and evocatively. Also, I want you to think about how the different categories of interactivity that Marie-Laure Ryan writes about in Narrative as Virtual Reality are at play in Hegirascope.
Welcome to ENGL 343: Textual Media
ENGL 343 is devoted to the critical study of texts produced and consumed in a digital environment, what generically we might call electronic literature. And what you are reading now is the first entry on the class blog for ENGL 343. If you are a student in ENGL 343, you can register for the blog, something you’ll need to do before the first week of classes is over.
Even if you don’t want to register yet, you can still browse this site, which will play an essential role in our course this semester. Of particular interest to students in ENGL 343 will be the course guidelines and the day-to-day class calendar.