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Explore the impact of digital media on literary critique, from objections to new voices in poetry to the influence of eReaders on traditional narratives. Discuss the balance between bias correction and the silencing of diverse voices.
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Cathy Park Hong Guggenheim Fellow, Poetry Editor at New Republic
New Media and the Avant Garde • Objections to Kenneth Goldsmith and assumptions of objective whiteness • Social media activism ushers in new voices • Comfort with social media allows artistic discourse to flourish on Facebook, online fora, digital journalism • How does our approach change when we critique these digitally influenced voices?
“Call-out Culture” • In a digital age, how do we balance discussions to address bias and exclusion in order to advance American poetry without silencing more voices? • The voice of condemnation is louder simply because English has stronger adjectives for that purpose (my personal theory) • Easy replication
The Novel Under New Technology • How do we critique something that utilizes a digital medium that has not yet developed a set of aesthetic guidelines?
Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum: Madeleine is Sleeping (2004) • Originally created with hypertext (now in print) • Web of narratives • Requires new conceptions of non-linearity • New interface reveals new artistic opportunities as well as critical challenges • How do we critique?
The eReader/eBook Era • eBooks make up $3.37 billion in the American publishing industry (AAP) • Flat growth for the past few years • Was considered a new hope for the publishing industry • Portability, convenience, access to more
Project Gutenberg and Crowdsourcing • Robert Walser, untranslated influence of Kafka • My boy Anthony Zilli
The Post-eReader Era • Big Phones and Tablets • Kindle Fire • Nook no longer part of BN • 35% drop in sales last year • The technological pendulum swinging back • From diversity to cohesion
Why this is Bad “The death of the standalone e-reader might be good news for consumers, who will have one fewer gadget to buy and lug around. But it's bad news for the book industry. Reading on an original Kindle or a Nook is an immersive experience. There are no push notifications from other apps to distract you from your novel, no calendar reminders or texts popping up to demand your immediate attention.” (Kevin Roose, New York Magazine)
Predictions • The way of news: Interactive, entertaining, personalized