Engl 304: Literary Computing, Examination. David S. Miall
December 4th 2007, HC 2-7, 1830-2030.
Choose two questions. Your answers should take the form of essay-type responses. Reference to critics and authors is welcome, but a bibliography is not required.
- Guides to web page design emphasize aspects such as clarity of information and reliability. What other features have recent Internet technologies made significant in web pages?
- In your view, does the use of a concordance replace or supplement traditional literary study?
- A number of canonical literary texts have now been repurposed in digital editions. What are the main advantages and/or disadvantages of this development?
- Literary computing has sometimes been regarded as a scientific perspective on literature. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of this claim.
- In what ways do the aims and methods of the study of reading overlap with those of literary computing? To what extent might these two fields support one another?
- Hayles has argued for the importance of the material substrate of literary and other texts. What do you understand by this claim? How convincing do you find it?
- What benefits (if any) are due specifically to hypertext forms of literary reading? Is it destined to replace conventional print forms of reading?
- Has cyberculture involved a "dumbing down," as the Krokers claim? Mention some examples of media that illustrate your arguments.
- "Like all forms of culture, cyberculture is, in part, a product of the stories we tell about it." -- David Silver. After taking this course in Literary Computing, what story are you telling about it?
Document prepared November 28th 2007