In this study, Christian Vandendorpe examines how digital media and the Internet have changed the process of reading and writing, significantly altering our approaches toward research and reading, our assumptions about audience and response, and our theories of memory, legibility, and context. Reflecting on the full history of the written word, Vandendorpe provides a clear overview of how materiality makes a difference in the creation and interpretation of texts.

Surveying the conventions of reading and writing that have appeared and disappeared in the Internet's wake, Vandendorpe considers various forms of organization, textual design, the use (and distrust) of illustrations, and styles of reference and annotation. He also examines the novel components of digital texts, including hyperlinks and emoticons, and looks at emergent, collaborative genres such as blogs and wikis, which blur the distinction between author and reader. Looking to the future, reading and writing will continue to evolve based on the current, contested trends of universal digitization and accessibility.

Reflections and predictions of technology's effect on reading and writing

About the Author
Christian Vandendorpe is professor of lettres francaises at the University of Ottawa. His publications include Les defis de la publication sur le web: hyperlectures, cybertextes et meta-editions and other works. Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott live and translate in Montreal, Quebec.

Reviews
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2011.

"In forty pithy essays, the author considers technological innovations that have transformed writing, altering the activity of reading and the processing of texts, individually and collectively. . . . The book's fragmentary organization--the adroit syntheses can be read in any order--makes it exceptionally accessible ... for the born-digital generation. . . . Essential."--Choice

"Precious nuggets of information in every chapter."--Communication Research Trends

"A valuable study of how reading quietly transforms culture."--Libraries & The Cultural Record



Book Information
ISBN 9780252076251
Author Christian Vandendorpe
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 8mm