Which Character are You?

I found this article by Wil Gesler focusing on how Melville's novel can be used in geography classes to explore these five themes: "the journey, human/environment interactions, social relationships in space, acquiring knowledge, and ambiguities and their resolution." I decided to take on the Journey theme and use it as a "which character are you" kind of set up.

Captain Ahab: Gesler states Ahab "will use every means at his disposal to find and kill the white whale" (pg 30). He points out that in Chapter 44 on page 177 that the captain has brought out "a large wrinkled roll of yellowish sea charts...intently study[ing] the various lines and shadings...and with slow but steady pencil trace additional courses over spaces that before were blank." He also has piles of books which contains his research on other ships and their voyages, as well as logs of where sperm whales have been caught or spotted. I would liken him to an internet user who can find plenty of information on the internet, who participates in the world of digital culture, but maybe spends too much time thinking about the internet and all its possibilities rather than the consequences of spending hours online and not also living in the world outside of digital life.

Ishmael: Ishmael is on this journey, but for two contradicting reasons.  In the first chapter on page 5 Ishmael stays "I cannot tell why it was exactly that those stage managers, the Fates, put me down for this shabby part of a whaling voyage...I think I can see a little into the springs and motives which being cunningly presented to me under various disguises, induced me to set about performing the part I did, besides cajoling me into the delusion that it was a choice resulting from my own unbiased freewill and discriminating judgment...chief among these motives was the overwhelming idea of the great whale himself." So he is on this journey because he wants to be and is interested in whaling, but also because Fate made him go. So to liken this to our class, I'm going to make the connection that Ishmaels of digital culture are the ones who are only interested in "mainstream internet sites" like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Youtube, or Wikipedia. But when they start thinking about the "fates," like the importance of digital culture or all the other aspects of the web like crowdsourcing or consuming, the Ishmaels don't really know what to say about it yet. But at least the Ishmaels are engaged with the internet and willing to explore it by going on different long tail tangents.

(sorry, couldn't get a white whale!)

Starbuck, Stubb, and the crew of Pequod: Chapter 38 has Starbuck realizing he is bound to this journey despite feelings it is suicidal and mad: "Oh! I plainly see my miserable office, - to obey, rebelling; and worse yet, to hate with a touch of pity!" And we have Stubb in chapter 39 believing that what will be will be: "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing." So for you crewmembers of the internet, you all must be in this digital culture journey for the ride. You don't know how far in you'll go, and maybe you'll end up lost in the surf of the digital sea, but at least you'll go down with a smile.


Maybe you guys would like to look at the other four themes? Or add on to this one - what was your journey through reading Moby Dick or getting through the first unit of this class? Which character are you?

Moby Dick: the Video Game

I was intrigued by our discussion of video games in class on Wednesday. I grew up with a Nintendo 64 and a Gameboy Color. We only had two games for each of these devices, so needless to say, I wasn't really a gamer. But the class discussion brought to my awareness some of the great things about video games and what potential there is for learning, narrative, and art. This got me thinking about what Moby Dick would be like as a video game. I googled to see what games had been created. There is one here if you're interested. It's pretty funny. You play as Moby Dick; smash people's boats; eat people and other marine life; and dodge harpoons and nets.

But if Moby Dick were a full-fledged video game, what would it be like? What sorts of tasks would you have to complete to capture Moby Dick? Would you be able to play as Ishmael, Queequeg, Ahab, Starbuck, Stubb, Flask, or the harpooners? Would mastering the video game be a metaphor for how hard it is to read Moby Dick?

Some whaling skills could definitely be translated into features of a video game. For example, when Queequeg is harnessed and suspended over the deck to help with collecting the whale blubber, he is dodging sharks, trying to balance, and do his job. During this ordeal, Ishmael is on deck watching Queequeg and the harpooners are stabbing the sharks below. Or maybe as part of the game, you could listen to Ishmael or Ahab's ponderings on the philosophies of how humans and nature interact. You then would have to summarize what they said or interpret their words into a meaningful life lesson for yourself. And of course there is tremendous potential in gamifying the actual rowing out and harpooning of the whales.

These musings of Moby Dick as a video game make me think of how students could gain a greater appreciation for the narrative, symbolism, and world created by authors of other literary masterpieces. How fun would English class be if every great work of literature you read had an accompanying video game that helped you delve into the book more fully and connect with complex characters and themes? In a way, I think this would be awesome! Is it realistic? Probably not, but it would be a new avenue of instruction that would be a great marriage of technology and the humanities. What do you think? Wouldn't Moby Dick make a cool video game? What parts of the book could be gamified to help readers experience a greater depth of understanding and relation to Melville's work?

Gathering Scholarship around a Passage (Moby Dick)

Since a lot of my reading of Moby Dick has been reading very quickly. (I'm sure a lot of people can empathize with that.) I thought it might be useful, then, to slow it down and look at a specific passage and what other people have had to say about it.

Let's take a section from chapter 98, where Ishmael is describing the bloodying and then cleaning of the whale ship:

many is the time the poor fellows, just buttoning the necks of their clean frocks, are startled by the cry of 'There she blows!' and away they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary thing again. Oh! my friends, but this is man-killing! Yet this is life. For hardly have we mortals by long toilings extracted from this world's vast bulk its small but valuable sperm; and then, learned to live here in clean tabernacles of the soul; hardly is this done, when--There she blows!--the ghost is spouted up, and away we sail to fight some other world, and go through young life's old routine again.

 Oh! the metempsychosis! Oh! Pythagoras, that in bright Greece, two thousand years ago, did die, so good, so wise, so mild; I sailed with thee along the Peruvian coast last voyage--and, foolish as I am, taught thee, a green simple boy, how to splice a rope.

The definition of metempsychosis might be useful to know here (from Merriam Webster): the passing of the soul at death into another body either human or animal.

Getting to the Long Tail

In his 2004 article, Chris Anderson says, "The problem with MP3.com was that it was only Long Tail."

What does this mean about the way consumers work their way into niche markets? The common complaint of the digital age is that there is just too much out there, much of it low quality. People need to sort through the masses and find exactly what they are looking for, but where to start?

Unfortunately, I don't think we've quite "ended the tyranny of the hit" as Mary discusses in her post, because I think that is exactly how people are introduced to less-popular media. I'll give an example:

Amazon is a great way to find new media. They carry more books, for example, than any library could hold. But have you ever walked into a library with no idea of what you were looking for? Just browsing the shelves, all of the shelves, is time-consuming and not very helpful. Usually you want a starting place, maybe a recommendation. On Amazon, you start off with something that is more of a hit and move on from there through its "you might also like" kind of recommendations. From there you might find a less-popular book. If you like that, you might have found yourself in a new niche, somewhat freeing yourself from the tyranny of the hit. But you started there.

You began at a hit at some point before finding yourself in the long tail. But is that such a bad thing? You have to start somewhere.

Catching Our Moby Dicks of the Internet

I really appreciated this post because it briefly puts together the things we've discussed in class and on our blog posts. And considering what we've read recently about the long tail in digital culture, I'd like address the ideas of isolation and collaboration with the long tail concept (allowing products that may be overlooked in favor of "the hits" and mainstream materials to become marketable).

We have mentioned a bit how modern technology can make the world a bigger or smaller place. Indulge with me on a terribly written extended metaphor: In Moby Dick we have a group of sailors from different backgrounds (Harvard educated, sailing educated, not at all), different religions (Christian, tribal Pagan), different ethnicity (South Sea Islander, African tribal) all thrown together in one ship Pequod. So we have everyone from all over the world tossed into the surf of the internet. It brings us all together with emails, blog posts, recipe exchanges (Dough-Boy cup of Aunt Charity's ginger-water anyone?), news, etc. We all collaborate together to catch our own personal Moby Dicks of the internet: on a quest for that one whale song you've never heard before unlike any other whale song? want to tackle the impossible project using google docs harpoons and JSTOR?

Maybe I'm just being silly, but we've been told Moby Dick is technology, not just a part of it. So I will continue my metaphor to explain that with collaboration and making the world a smaller place, there is still isolation created from the wonderful space of digital life.

While we're out surfing the internet, on the Pequod in the middle of the ocean, we are cut off from the homeland. I can easily sit in a room with a group of my friends, not talk to each other, and all be on our laptops talking to other people. We are isolated from one another and we're physically in the same room! The ones in the ship, on the internet, we all have one thing in common: a song, an interest, a political group, crowdsourcing to get money to fund a project. The people we leave at home though are where we are known. Ishmael joins this crew of essentially strangers. They don't even know their own captain until chapter 28, don't mention the goal to get Moby Dick until chapter 41. Where is Ishmael's family? How did Queequeg and Tashtego and Daggoo end up on this crew? Are these guys creating avatars for themselves while on this ship? How much does the reader actually know about these crazy crew mates?

As powerful and adventurous the web is, we should also make sure we don't lose ourselves to the high seas and excitement. I'm not saying a good sailing trip isn't healthy. However, where Ishmael has "nothing particular to interest [him] on shore," (pg 1) we do. I'm guilty of spending too much time in front of a screen to find out who I am and what I like, rather than going out into the world and exploring myself. I don't need to sail for hours on the ocean of the web "whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul" (pg 1). There are people to talk to, things to see, and homework to do...though the homework bit might not make my drizzly November soul any more summertime June.

"ending the tyranny of the hit."

After reading Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail," I was struck by how the profitability of non-hits is increasing collaboration and expanding the ability of artists to get their work out to the masses. I loved the example about the two books, Touching the Void and Into Thin Air, where the first book only became popular a decade after it was written because of online recommendations connected to the second book. This reminds me of Moby Dick. Of course Moby Dick didn't become popular during World War I because of online recommendations, but it is similar in that it did not sell many copies when it was first published in the 1800s and later became popular because of renewed interest. Perhaps this revival came about because of the cultural and political changes going on at the time. This is not so different from today, where previously lost or passe movies, music, books, etc. become popular again or for the first time because of cultural and political changes. For example, I have seen George Orwell's 1984 referenced a lot on internet forums and social media recently because of the government surveillance scandals going on right now.

Now more than ever the masses are really deciding who the artists actually are. Before with the economic hit model that Anderson talks about, only artists that could make it big and produce hits had their work available to the majority of the population. Lesser-known or independent artists had their work sold more in specialty stores and not at mainstream retailers. But now everything has changed. Anderson mentions that because physical factors are no longer a limitation, there just needs to be a group of people somewhere willing to consume what is produced in order for it to be successful. I think it is fantastic how creation, the ability to create and share your creations, is becoming more and more democratic.

This really raises questions about what is art and what is quality art. Anderson deconstructs a common myth about art that the one hit model has propagated. He says, "We equate mass market with quality and demand, when in fact it often just represents familiarity, savvy advertising, and broad if somewhat shallow appeal." Because mainstream art can be shallow and its success can depend heavily on advertising and connections rather than on quality and craftsmanship, I am so happy that the tyranny of the hit is ending. I think the possibility that anyone can become an artist and that anyone can share their work with the masses is a thrilling prospect. Not only does it encourage individual creativity and group collaboration but it also allows quality work to come forth that otherwise may have been relegated to obscurity. In short, huzzah for the long tail!

How reliable are rating systems for media? It depends on what you're looking for.

Cheri and Kayla both wrote posts on the potential for a book rating system, similar to movies and video games. I've considered this concept before, but one thing that I think is interesting about rating systems is the tendency for them to lose meaning over time. As society changes, what is appropriate for certain audiences changes as well. For example, a PG-13 rating for a movie now allows for more explicit content than a PG-13 movie from 15 years ago. The Motion Picture Association of America explains this on their website under Ratings History, "As American parents' sensitivities change, so too does the rating system. Elements such as violence, language, drug use, and sexuality are continually re-evaluated through surveys and focus groups to mirror contemporary concern and to better assist parents in making the right viewing choices."

This approach is perfectly reasonable if you don't have fixed opinions about appropriateness based on what you think are absolute truths. If your opinions are based on relative truths subject to change and influenced by the greater opinion of society at large, then this system probably works for you, if you agree with the direction society at large is traveling in concerning media. But if you are someone in the absolute truth category and the ratings system doesn't reflect those absolute truths, then the system loses meaning for you.

For example, it is apparently not a contemporary concern if 13-year old children hear the F word twice in a PG-13 movie because that is considered acceptable content for a movie of that rating. I don't think this is appropriate for a 13-year old. I understand that many 13-year olds hear that kind of language walking through a school hallway five time a week; nevertheless, I don't see a reason to put that language in a movie that is rated as appropriate for 13-year olds.

To get back to the discussion on a rating system for books, I think a rating system for books could be useful. However, I assume such a rating system would be similar to the MPAA's rating system, and that means the system would be subject to constant change based on the opinions of contemporary parents and their concerns, which of course probably will not match up with my concerns. Don't get me wrong, I think the idea of parents evaluating media on a semi-regular basis is generally good. I just think that rating systems are always a product of a society's values at a given time, and because they change, they are not very effective.

What do you think? Would a rating system for books be patterned after a rating system for movies? Should there be different independent rating systems: a national one and others run by groups of parents with more specific concerns? As mentioned by a commenter in one of the other blogs on this subject, how would a ratings system restrict children from reading books worth their while that do have some more mature content?

Science Writing in Moby Dick

I spent about five hours yesterday reading through chapter 96 in Moby Dick. I didn’t mind the scientific bits much last week but during yesterday’s marathon I started moaning every time Ishmael said something like, “Let us, then, look at this matter…” (page 331). I’m sure at least 90% of Melville’s readers agree.

A Discover Magazine science writer, Carl Zimmer, however, doesn’t. In fact he asks “How many students have missed the fine passages of “Cetology”? He briefly looks at Melville’s science writing in scientific and historical contexts and calls it science writing “of the highest order, before there was science writing.” It’s really worth reading.

Frankly, if you do look at those pesky encyclopedic and elegiac (“I celebrate a tail”? Really?) passages, there is much at which to be awed. Never mind why Melville included it; could you do as well to describe everything? If he wrote an article in a modern journal, it would still stand out through the quality of his writing.

By the way, Zimmer also muses that “It would be quite something if student could be co-taught Moby Dick by English professors and biologists.” I think the team teaching of our Eng 326 class is going well, and I like our professors’ different perspectives. A biologist-humanities professor duo actually sounds perfect for this novel!

So this is not an idle suggestion: Maybe next semester a biologist could come in as a guest/recurring guest lecturer? I bet he or she would love it.

 

 

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting

In our lecture on Wednesday, Dr. Burton explained a lot about crowdsourcing. There are some amazing things that crowdsourcing has been able to accomplish, but of course, there are ups and downs to anything. I'd like to focus this post on something I know more about, which is the world of freelance editing and design.

There are a lot of ways that people freelance. Some have their own individual websites and portfolios, but many people seem to gravitate toward sites like oDesk or freelancer.com. On these sites, employers can post projects for freelancers to search through and apply for. Here are some pros:

1. Very flexible. Not only can you work when you want, but you can choose which projects you want to take on (and when).
2. Employers increase their pool of applicants.
3. Freelancers increase their pool of possible projects.

There are, however, some cons that need to be addressed, and some implications that come out of them:

1. The pool of applicants is huge, which gives employers a lot of power.
2. The prices are set very low. I mean very, very low. Often you'll see a project that will probably take 40 hours to complete with a wage of $100 (that's $2.50 an hour).

But why do these sites survive, then? Someone must be taking these jobs. And they are. Who takes them is very interesting for the future of the workplace.

1. Amateurs trying to build up a portfolio.
• Fair enough. Maybe people get a portfolio built up here and then move on to create their own website and build clientele from there. Does this mean that places like oDesk are the new entry-level jobs?
2. People who live in low cost-of-living areas.
• This is the one I find the most interesting. One hundred US dollars goes a lot farther in some countries than it does in the United States. US freelancers could complain about this, but then again, they could also move to and work from these places themselves. Does the future of telecommuting mean that workers will live in areas according to the types of services they offer?

Crowdsourcing with Moby Dick

Our Wednesday class talked about crowdsourcing - getting information/input for a task/project/idea by seeking out the services of people, paid or unpaid, on the Internet. I think it's such a coincidence because I was surfing the internet for ways people of today have incorporated Moby Dick into life today and came across this video. It's a group of guys called King Post appealing to people of the internet for funding of a Moby Dick card game! How fun is that? Crowdsourcing and the book we're studying all in one.

So I tried to get the link above to be a direct video to here, but I couldn't figure it out without using Youtube. So I searched Youtube to see if King Post had the same video on there. I found them but they didn't have this video. Instead they have a channel of information about the game and book. So not only are they crowdsourcing, but they are using different databases to get their message out to appeal to more people and get more viewers.

Their crowdsourcing got them the funding they needed to make their card game possible. This just shows the power of the internet and how effective this method is of getting your ideas out there and getting the support you need to make stuff happen!

Discovering on the Shoulders of Giants, e.g. with Pinterest

Professor Burton's blog post made me think about how I already use the internet to wonder, explore, and discover. While stuff on sites like Tumblr and Facebook are entertaining and occasionally make me wonder at people’s genius or lack thereof, Pinterest is someplace I discover things.

 

 

The above could apply to books on the treadmill as well. For more: see here and here.

 

When I see a great, simple craft or a clever hack on there, I feel the same feeling I got when I first saw the space balloon video. Although I’ve only made one recipe inspired directly by I’ve seen on there (root beer cookies!), the principles I see in place inspire me to think a little more when I make food. And this last summer, actually, I purchased a book (what? A physical book?!) about electronics hacks.

With discovering and exploring using the web, we still stand on the shoulders of giants. And the web helps us find the best places to stand. What’s the best idea you’ve discovered, or implemented, from Pinterest or another hacking site (e.g. lifehacker.com)?

Avatars of Moby Dick

In our recent class discussions about creating our own internet avatars and how that defines us, I thought about all the avatars Moby Dick creates for itself.

First, the characters. Ishmael right off the bat creates his avatar by saying "Call me Ishmael." He makes a biblical allusion to call him the son of Abraham. Then there's his character development. He is educated, religious, but then rambles and goes on tangents about education and religion and whaling. All of this creates an image of him. Who is he really then? This jouney has become his Harvard. What does that say about who he is or what he wants others to think about him?

Second, the book itself. We have already discussed how Moby Dick has elements of an allegory, epic, novel, and recently play. Which avatar do we focus on? The fact that this is mostly an epic novel can make readers focus on its purpose as an attempt to harness nature and make a deep connection withnature in the story. If we focus on avatar allegory, readers focus on its purpose as a story with symbols to represent abstract ideas. As a book with stage direction like a play we see building drama. All of these avatars combined though is what makes the book a unique and forces us to look at ALL these elements.

So with our own avatars, whether on Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr, each avatar reflects different pieces of ourselves. Maybe the same way having so many avatars on the internet feels overwhelming also reflects how the avatars of Moby Dick makes it a difficult book to classify and overwhelms us with its many definitions.

More on Online Rating Systems

Cheri wrote this post about online rating systems. She talks about how even fan fiction writers assign ratings to their work, and books seem to be the looming exception to the rule about ratings. I find it really interesting that the classically offline content (books) is much less filtered than the more online content (movies, music, fan fiction).

Then I found this website, ratedreads.com, that has ratings published for various books, adult and young adult. There were some other sites that came up in my search, but this was the first choice of Google, at least.

I'll put aside for now whether or not I agree with the ratings that they give books and focus on what is happening between the digital and print worlds. The print world creates something, and the online community takes over gaps they see in what has been created.

Blogging: I took the one less sailed by

Exploration and self-discovery go hand in hand. In order to really explore, we need an uncharted territory, a place we've never been. Digital culture has been an uncharted territory for me. For example, I hadn't really blogged before I started taking this class. Now I am exploring the world of blogging, which has taught me some things about myself and led to more self-discovery than I thought.

Blogging has reaffirmed to me the importance of writing my thoughts down on paper or rather typing my thoughts on my laptop and sharing them with the online community. There is value in being able to express myself through writing. The creative process that is writing allows me to develop insights and connections I might have missed if they were stored away in the sometimes chaotic space that is my mind. Because I have to reflect in order to write, I think deeper and consider more. 

I also think the comments feature of blogging is so valuable. Journals are great. Like I said, writing thoughts down on paper leads to discovery, but sharing them with others enriches the exploration so much more. If I had simply written these blog posts and not shared them, it would be the equivalent of writing in a journal. But because I've received thoughtful feedback and because I've read the "journals" of others, I have expanded my horizons and traveled to previously unknown regions.  

Lastly, blogging has made me reflect on how I present myself and in turn made me reflect on who I am. Figuring out who I am will be a lifelong journey I'm sure, but exploring my identity in new ways, exploring my thoughts, feelings, and opinions on a work of literature that portrays life so well helps me understand what storms I've braved, what seas I'm crossing, and what sites I want to see. 

I really like the comparison between the theme of adventure in Moby Dick and exploring digital culture. Though Ishmael goes on a physical journey into the vast watery unknown, he goes on several metaphorical voyages that impact him just as much as the harrowing chase after Moby Dick. At times his tangents seem rudderless, but like Dr. Burton said, faith is needed for exploring, and we all put our faith in Ishmael as a narrator as he describes the events of his journey and the peculiarities of human nature. Meanwhile Ishmael puts his faith in his unexplainable drive for adventure. I think we've all chased a white whale, and we hope our pursuit will satisfy our yearnings for discovery, adventure, and meaning in life we couldn't capture while in a safe harbor.          

Online Identity: Happily Undefined

In our class discussion Wednesday, the point was brought up that the digital age has forced people to define themselves and question their identity more than in the past. As I thought more about this, I realized this is precisely the reason why I have a Facebook but never post any status updates and why I refuse to fill in the rest of my online profile. I have an aversion to being defined.

Even in face-to-face conversations with strangers or acquaintances I feel uncomfortable when someone asks what I like to do or what my hobbies are. Essentially there are these sorts of questions in our culture that help us learn more about an individual, but they also help us categorize an individual, define what sort of person he or she is, and allow us to make judgements about whether we'd like to spend more or less time with this individual. Defining and categorizing are natural human functions, and they are an essential part of living in a society, but this knowledge still doesn't reassure me. I suppose in a way I feel that when I am forced to define myself, the definition cheapens my identity. How can you really explain who you are in a few sentences or with a few pictures or with what pages you like on Facebook?

Perhaps my aversion to being defined also comes from always being labeled "shy" in school. If someone is shy, then of course they are all of the connotations that go with it: quiet, timid, uninteresting, not fun, and someone to be ignored. My peers didn't treat me poorly; I had friends, but I felt muted by this perception or definition of me. If I did something an extroverted person would do, it shocked many of my classmates. Once you've been defined, the parameters of behavior appropriate for your definition have also been defined. And if your behavior deviates from those parameters, then all hell breaks loose. Ok that last line was a little dramatic, but I'm sure you've all been in a situation where you acted contrary to how someone expected you to act, and they just couldn't wrap their head around it.  

I also value substantive, intimate connections with people. There are few things I enjoy more than an engaging fulfilling conversation. I feel that sincerity in online communication is achieved despite the superficial filters of our online identities rather than because of them. I guess I like it when people's words and actions speak for themselves. I know this goes against the argument that ethos is very important in online communication, and part of creating a positive ethos is to have a positive online identity. I agree with this point; ethos certainly is important in online communication. However, I still feel at times that online identities are little more than carefully-crafted packaging that attracts interaction with onlookers but doesn't authentically communicate what's inside the box.

The Authenticity of Digital Currency

The prevalence of advice about budgeting and finances proves that they are an issue for many, many people. What's more interesting to me, however, is that many of these blog posts, books, and lectures focus on using the most authentic form of money, or what feels most real to people.

Have you all seen the cash envelope budgeting system?

E-how even has this page on the system

The idea is that people need concrete, "real" money separated out for their various bills in order to feel that they are spending. Credit cards, supporters of the system say, let you swipe a plastic card and walk away with products.

This system is funny to me, because I feel the complete opposite about the authenticity of money. I don't like spending money when I know the number in my bank account is going to go down. I don't always have cash, but when I do, it feels like free money. I can spend that cash, and there will be no trail of it, no record that I spent it, and my bank account won't change.

Maybe it's a generational thing. Maybe cash feels more real to a generation where credit and debit cards weren't a common reality. My husband likes to joke about it and tell me that I should go get some lunch if I forget mine, because I have a magic blue card that I can swipe. I don't even have to give them any of my dollars. Ha.

But what do you all think? What form of currency feels most real to you?
 

Can We Value Quick Writing?

After reading Amber's post, I starting thinking about something we bring up when talking about online discussions. One complaint is that everyone just says the first thing that comes to mind; they speak without filtering or editing themselves.

But I don't think this is a new concept. I first thought of Edmund Burke and Mary Wollstonecraft. Edmund Burke published his book Reflections on the Revolution in France in 1790. Mary Wollstonecraft read it, got angry, and published her own response, the famous A Vindication of the Rights of Men, just a few weeks later. 

Quickly (and beautifully) written.

What's our beef with quick writing? Is it that too many people can spread information now? Maybe someone besides Mary Wollstonecraft had some thoughts about the French Revolution, but they couldn't get a printer. I guess we'll never know. Of course, when word processors came out, novelists mourned that now anyone could write a novel. Though I don't think anyone writes a novel these days because they think, "ooh, I can do it in Word!"

So, what is it about the ease of publishing that makes us so hesitant to value something?

Transcending Time and War: Moby Dick and the Literary Canon

I liked Kayla's post about the literary canon and transcendence. I started to comment on it, and my comment got longer and longer, so I figured I would write a post expanding on my thoughts.

I think transcendence is an important theme in literature found in the literary canon. I've also heard that literature that is considered classic usually has universal themes about humanity. On the other hand, there are so many other works of literature that are forgotten that also have the themes of transcendence and philosophies about the human condition. If having these themes was all it took for works to be added to the literary canon, then we could be adding thousands. So there has to be something more to it.

Then I thought that when each work is published, it is evaluated on its own merit, and (at least not to my knowledge) the question of whether it could be part of the literary canon is not asked until years later. So as Kayla mentioned with Moby Dick, popularity was not a factor when the book was published or for some years after, not until World War I as was mentioned in class. In class we also discussed the many reasons for why Moby Dick became popular during the World War I era. Perhaps a reason for its popularity was the type of transcendence in the book.

It's true that Ishmael seems to do a lot of random musings and philosophizing about several aspects of life. These parts in the book also don't always neatly tie together into a unified whole with one large theme. But isn't the act of being able to transcend and ponder several aspects of the human condition a sort of triumph within itself? What I mean is to be able to take yourself out of time, space, your culture, etc. and to be able to evaluate your actions and those of others in a more expansive view is the beginning of the ability to overcome the sorrows, challenges, and horrors of the human condition. Self-awareness and an awareness of the reasons for people's actions can put events into perspective and create understanding and meaning.

I think this transcendence was important during World War I with such great disillusionment and the questioning of why and how did this happen. People needed a way to transcend the horrors of war, and one way to transcend is through great works of art that teach us something about humanity and make sense of the world around us. I think Moby Dick does this. It seems to constantly remind us that humans are small compared to the world around them. The future is unknown. We are compelled by forces that we don't completely understand. We are all lacking in some way, full of our own traditions, prejudices, and contradictions.

Classifying Literature and Blogs

This post is inspired by our fellow Team Stubb mates Victoria and Brittany (find their post here and here respectively). They both made great points in the debate on categorizing Moby Dick as a novel, and more generally speaking, the debate on making these types of classifications at all. Personally, I like the idea of having classifications for books. It sets up a basic framework for writers. Even if Moby Dick fits into many categories such as myth or allegory or epic, I would say overall it generally serves as a novel. That statement itself can be room for debate (one that would be better suited to discuss in the posts earlier mentioned); however, I want to focus on another question. If our current standards and classifications of literature are "flawed" and currently evolving to mixing genres, then when will it start including blog posts and other internet driven writing into such categories? Have these categories already been made?

I liked on the first day of class, Dr Burton posed this sort of idea: out of the best books we learn knowledge - now switch "books" to "blogs." Out of the best blogs we learn knowledge. Some of the class seemed to mentally repel that idea. Maybe that's just my imagination. Think about it, though. I've read blog posts, personal essays, and other pieces on the internet that, to me, were worth more merit than what I've suffered through studying Romantic era poetry. Yet authors from hundreds of years ago are considered literary geniuses. What of the authors today? What of the authors that aren't the professionals submitting items for publications and just posting them right on the internet for anyone to find?

I've been told by many professors that literature is work charged with meaning. If a simple blog post has just as much or more meaning than what Melville or Shakespeare or Austen have to say, do we get to log that into literary categories recognized as something important enough to call a novel or nonfiction or classic? Or does everything in the digital age get categorized as hopeful writers, nobody's, fanboys and fangirls putting whatever they want online?

Moby Dick and the Literary Canon

Like every English student since the dawn of English students, I have contemplated what lets a text become part of the literary canon. For Moby Dick especially, it clearly was not popularity. After reading a few other posts about it (including this one comparing Moby Dick and Nascar), I've decided that one of the major qualifications is transcendence.

Books need to transcend the main topics or plots that they cover to be relevant enough to keep in the canon (or add to it). What makes Moby Dick transcendent (as far as I've read) is also what makes it so, so long and dense. Ishmael cannot just go about his day without stopping to muse on everything he sees.

Ishmael's major musings thus far:

1. Why do people mourn for the dead in church? Don't they believe that they are in a mystically happy place?
2. What could the painting in the inn possibly be, or mean?
3. What makes someone savage or civilized? Is it better to sleep beside a drunk Christian or a sober cannibal?

Well, you get the idea. Ishmael sees something, and 6 pages later he may still be philosophizing about it. But isn't that what makes the book more than a book about whaling?

Syntax of Moby Dick and the Internet

This is my first time reading Moby Dick and my initial thoughts are all about the language of the story.

Reading the novel makes me feel like I'm listening to a drunk but educated stranger turned sailor. It's full of tangents and interruptions, rambling analysis and dramatic self reflections. Intriguing as it is, sometimes I get a little lost in the commas and semicolons. The first page sets the reader up for a long, syntactical journey: "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can." Readers have to take time to listen to the pauses. They have to connect the bits of sentences to one another. The fact that the novel is first person narrative also puts into perspective how the story is filtered - through an unreliable narrator that from his first sentence ("Call me Ishmael") implies that there is a story to him readers won't ever fully know or understand.

Relating it to the digital culture of today, I think we have a lot of blogs and personal posts on the internet that follow suit with Moby Dick's syntax. Many posts go unfiltered. They are in first person. People don't take time using spell check or grammar check before uploading a tweet or facebook status. Posts can ramble on (like mine right now actually). Comments underneath Youtube videos or new articles turn into tangents and spitfire arguments (like the tangents in the book). There are exceptions of course. This class is an example of that; posts are aimed towards a professor/university student level to give in depth analysis of Moby Dick (or literature in general) and our observations and understanding of digital culture and digital humanities so we tend to watch our posts for vocabulary and grammar. It's just interesting to see how the commonplace and upfront speech in this novel reflect the colloquial language of half the internet.

Also, I happened to find this blog post about tangent tendencies in classic literature and thought it was nice to get other examples of this - and to see I'm not the only one blogging about this!

A Christian Savage and Christian Savagery

I've read Moby Dick once before in my high school freshman English class. I remember that it was long, and that I didn't dislike it as much as my other classmates. I have to say this time around, I'm actually enjoying it. I really like Ishmael's character. I admire his observations about life, humanity in general, and his descriptions of the specific people he meets, like Queequeg. Ishmael's comparison of the savage's virtues to that of other Christians is particularly interesting.

In describing Queequeg, Ishmael says, "There he sat, his very indifference speaking a nature in which there lurked no civilized hypocrisies and bland deceits. . . . I'll try a pagan friend, thought I, since Christian kindness has proved but hollow courtesy" (Ch. 10, p. 53). Later Ishmael describes a scene on the boat heading to Nantucket where some white sailors mock Queequeg, and Queequeg ends up saving one of their lives. Though he is a savage, Queequeg seems to have mastered "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (Matthew 5:44 KJV).

These parts of Moby Dick make me question my own culture and what "civilized hypocrisies" I participate in every day. One of the most basic examples is our culture's greeting, "Hi, how are you?" Do we really care how other people are doing? It's practically obligatory to say "good" or "fine" in response to such a question. Our societal norms don't leave much room for emotional honesty in such circumstances. Our greetings are mostly a "hollow courtesy." And do we not rejoice in our culture when misfortune befalls our enemies? Sometimes we call it "karma," "they had it coming," or "that sucks for them."

I'm not suggesting that every time we ask someone how they are that we don't care. There are plenty of times when small talk is meaningful among friends and family. Our culture also recognizes the importance of forgiveness and being kind to others. But in general, I feel there are many "civilized hypocrisies" in our somewhat scripted interactions with others. The above of which are just some examples. What do you all think? Is there more sincerity and Christian charity to be found in those described as "savages"?

About Myself

My name is Amber and here is my get to know you post!

Education: I'm a senior this year at BYU (graduating in April) studying English with a creative writing emphasis. I took Dr. Burton's ENGL 372 class last winter and thoroughly enjoyed it (take a look at our class' blog and videos) so I'm especially looking forward to working with this class in combining literature with the digital age.

Family: I am the oldest of three. I'm 1/4 Sicilian, with a bit of Russian, Scottish, Polish, and German descent mixed in there. My parents were both Marines so I moved around a lot the first eight years of my life, including outside of the country. I am the first in my family to attend BYU. I have a red betta fish named Boswell and a mini red haired dachshund at home named Eppie (after an Italian food dish, not epipens).

Random: I love television shows and movies. I couldn't name my favorites if I tried. In my spare time I like collecting glass bottles or jars and filling them with with random things like buttons or marbles. I enjoy writing a lot. I can only read a book one time through, even if it's my favorite book. Catcher in the Rye is brilliant. Children's books are probably my favorite things to read.

My Intro

Eliza, great minds think alike because I was totally going to introduce myself saying, "Call me Mary."

My name is Mary. I'm going to learn a lot in this class because social media and technology in general are not the most compelling forces in my life. I have a Facebook account that I've updated my status on probably two or three times since I created it. I have an iPod that I lost for two years, found it again, and  still haven't listened to a song on it since I found it. This behavior is rare for someone of my generation. I guess I am just so hipster that the greatest music to me is the melody of my own thoughts. That last sentence should give you all an indication of what to expect from me this semester: awe-inspiring and deeply profound insights. I also have a bit of a dry sense of humor at times.

But for real, I will tell you more about myself now. I am from Southeastern Wisconsin. My sister and I have colorful Wisconsin/Minnesota alter egos named Marge and Patty. When I say alter egos, I mean we put on a very thick accent and update each other on the busy happenings of our rural lives. It's weird I know, but I love different dialects and sociolinguistics in general. I'm an English language major and a writing and rhetoric minor. I'm toying with the idea of going to grad school in Linguistics here at BYU. I'm also a technical writer at the OIT building on campus. If you have any questions on the new XPR 6580 radios, I'm your woman. Well, at least I can direct you to an online product page I wrote that will give you more details.

I look forward to getting to know you all this semester!

DigHT What?

If my memory/notes tell me right, this second blog post of ours can be on DigHT and/or Moby Dick.

Technically speaking, I have no minor, even though I’ve been telling people I’m minoring in Computing in the Humanities (CHum) or in Digital Humanities (DigHT) since 2010. (Yeah, making a graduation plan is on the docket this semester. That way I can actually declare a minor.) When I tell someone my planned minor, they typically follow up a comment such as, “That’s great!” with a question that makes me squirm: “What is that?”

I always struggle to explain, since I don’t have a clear concept of what digital humanities is, precisely. Lately I’ve just told them what classes I’m taking. Our discussion in class last Wednesday was lovely, but I don’t quite have a concise explanation as yet. I look forward to grasping the concept of the topic more firmly!

Let me try to formulate my conception of it at this time: "Digital Humanities" encompasses learning certain web skills, like basic code literacy, and learning how to reach people and reading people and our changing culture online. It tries to analyze and work with the culture and opportunities online.

As for Moby Dick – I haven't begun the reading JUST yet. Although I've heard negative reviews of this book from friends, my first (?) and strongest exposure to this book was through the film adaptation of Matilda. Here are the relevant clips, in chronological order.

"It's not trash, Daddy; it's lovely. It's called Moby Dick by Herman Melville."

The second clip culminates the denouement of Matilda; we find her in a much happier home with her kind teacher as her guardian, beginning to read the book at bedtime. Embedding is disabled, but you may watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0HU1nNcEI.

Was this film anyone else’s first exposure to Moby Dick? Other DigHT minors, how have you explained what it is?

Call Me Eliza.

Hello! My last name is Woolley.

I’m taking six classes this semester. (Note to self: prepare to die.) Maybe. There's still time to drop the half-credit one.

Let’s cut out the slight cultural references and cut to the chase.

Education: I’m an English major who started at BYU in 2008. (This is my seventh semester. I took 2 years off for my mission in…Scotland and Ireland!) As soon as I make a graduation plan, I’ll be able to officially declare that I’m minoring in Digital Humanities and Editing. After that? Career plan, shmareer plan; que sera sera.

Family & Background: I grew up in Ramona, California – a town in San Diego County, up in the hills a bit. It’s a bit more rural than, say, Oceanside. I have one older sister, who is married and lives in Provo; a younger sister who is also a BYU student; and a younger brother and a younger sister living at home still with my parents. My mom works with them. My dad is a marriage and family therapist and university professor.

Interests:

• Reading has been my main hobby for like ever. I mostly read fantasy. (Potter forever!)
• I have a hard time picking any favorites, but swings are my favorite playground equipment. Usually.
• I love listening to music; recent discoveries include Sara Bareilles’ The Blessed Unrest and the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Camelot, with Julie Andrews. I also play the piano a bit.
• I picked up three hobbies over the summer. I am currently dabbling in tech trash (with this book), DoTERRA’s AromaTouch Technique (I have a massage table! Talk to me if you’re interested in receiving one) and in a calculus workbook. (What’s the use in having taken calculus unless you remember how to use it?)
• Here's my Tumblr: disneybird.tumblr.com.

I look forward to this blogging experience with y’all! See you/read you later!

6 Tangentially Important Fun Facts

By way of introduction, I've compiled a list of 6 things you didn't know that you cared to know about me, Kayla Swan.

1. I seem to be one of the few people who liked Russell Crowe in Les Mis. I disliked the song "Stars" in the play until he sang it, actually. I also love to change the lyrics to make parodies to everything in Les Mis. Did you know that Lehi, too, dreamed a dream?
2. I have never traveled outside of the continental United States. I once got a passport in the hopes that I would use it to make a spontaneous run for the border (even the Canadian border), but, alas, I have since gotten married and so need a new passport. To stay unstamped. But watch this hilarious SNL video 3 times when you are already in a laughing mood late at night... and you will understand my sense of humor.

3. Speaking of marriage: this is the picture you get of me. From my engagement pictures, yes, because I don't take a lot of pictures of myself.

4. And when I do take pictures of myself, they are usually while I am backpacking, sans makeup (and sans shower).

5. I'm expecting a baby boy in January, assuming he stays put until then. I also love the phrase "I'm expecting." As in, we hope it's a human. We're expecting a human.

6. I'm an editor, though sometimes not the most careful editor of my own work. This poster still makes me laugh though--no actual grammar knowledge needed. Oh, adorable baby seals. You keep on clubbing.