Staci Lewis
Dr. Powers-Beck
ENGL 3134
10 December 1999
The Future of Literary Studies in the Age of Technology
By: Staci Lewis
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It is true that computers are intended to make life easier for
those willing to learn the principles of their use. It seems as though the entire world is now
being operated by the punch of a button and the click of a mouse. Inevitably, all aspects of
life will soon be affected by computerized technology in some form or another and due to these
technological advances, it was only a matter of time before the world of literature was affected
as well. Technology has clearly made its presence known in the field of literary studies. Today, students
of literature are being inundated by terms such as "electronic books," "hyperfictions" and
"textual analysis software" - terms unimagined only a few short years ago. These words are
becoming increasingly more prevalent with each passing semester and some women and men are even
beginning to wonder if "printed books" will eventually become completely obsolete.
Electronic books are one way in which technology has managed to creep into the world of
literature. There are various forms of these "tablet-like gadgets" on the market today. One example is
the "Rocketbook" which is roughly the size of a paperback novel and weighs only twenty ounces.
According to JoAnne Robb, author of "Electronic Books: Papercut-free Reading", this item, which
sells for approximately five hundred dollars, is constructed to contain up to four thousand pages
of text, which can be obtained from publishing companies or booksellers.
The Rocket E-Book
Internet archives are another means by which technology has infiltrated the study of literature.
This advancement has enabled materials that do not lend themselves to "paper-based formats" to be
more easily studied. For example, one of the goals of the Rossetti Archive created at the
University of Virginia was to develop the use of computerized tools that would enable the study
of language to be accomplished visually. For the most part, this archive has achieved its
purpose, but it is not useful as a "singular source" for proper literary study.
Search engines and literature indices such as "Voice of the Shuttle" maintained by the
University of California at Santa Barbara, is yet another way in which the world of technology
meets the study of literature. This particular example is an elaborately constructed instrument
that permits the searching of a specific aspect of literature (i.e. genre, author, period of
history) with the end result being a virtual collaboration of information in the form of timelines,
scholarly studies and miscellaneous facts pertaining to the chosen topic. These search engines
and indices are excellent means for a student, or other interested individual, to obtain
vast amounts of information on most literary subjects.
Hyperfictions have actually become a new genre of literature by themselves. These works of
literature are considered "postmodern fiction" and are said to have begun with Michael Joyce's
hyperfiction, Afternoon. This work is part of a hypertext system known as "Storyspace" which
provides the reader with many options that make the reading itself a "different" sort of
experience altogether. For example, works of hyperfiction generally contain "visible wordlinks"
which enable the reader to "jump" between stories and scenes. Storyspace possesses "invisible
wordlinks" which permit the reader to follow words of interest in more depth, rather than being
"led" by visible links. The onset of hyperfiction has provided a unique way to comprehend a
story by presenting the reader with more than just a "page-turning" experience. The author
herself is also presented with a new way to express her ideas by combining characters and
storylines in a creative and interesting manner while providing the reader with a broader view
of the story. In an essay by Robert Coover entitled, "The End of Books," the statement is made
that due to the increasing popularity of hyperfiction, as well as advancements being made in
computerized technology, "printed books will soon become relics of a forgotten past" and will
be unable to "keep up" with a fast-paced technological society. This theory remains to be seen.
However, hyperfiction does possess the ability to allow the reader to "see the story" and not
merely the words.
Textual analysis software is another means of allowing a person to more fully study and
discover aspects of a literary work due to the advancements being made in technology. For
example, "Textual Analysis Computing Tools," or "TACT," provides the user with a great deal of
information pertaining to language and imagery usage, both of which are often helpful in
analyzing a work of literature. This particular method of analyzing a literary work enables the
user to search for a particular word or phrase in its structural context and infer conclusions
based on the obtained results. Analytical software systems such as these further allow a reader
to discover statistical interpretations of the uses of imagery in a work such as the imagery of
light in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Finally, internet exhibitions offer a means of obtaining information pertaining to a literary
subject through World Wide Web documents by reproducing already-published texts without any
additional critical materials. An example of such an Internet exhibition is the "American Verse
Project" sponsored by the University of Michigan. Currently, this project possesses a list of
nearly four hundred American poets, several hundred volumes of which have been analyzed as to
their scholarly interest as well as their physical properties. This exhibition is especially
helpful to someone researching some of the lesser-known American writers, as many of the authors
listed tend to be obscure names. The American Verse Project provides the user with three types
of searches - Simple, Boolean and Proximity - which better enable the user to find words or
subjects relevant to their topic of study or interest.
The aforementioned technological advancements have presented new and exciting ways for individuals
to better study literature. They offer "in-depth study" in relatively simple ways, thus enabling
a more concrete comprehension of a literary work. Whether these advancements in technology will
end the existence of "printed books" altogether remains to be seen. However, those women and
men who seek the comfort that "printed books" provide will most likely forego the computerized
void of "Storyspace" and instead retain their tried and true dog-eared copies of their favorite books.
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