In “The Electronic Book” by Jay David Bolter I found the idea that books are anthropomorphized in western culture (p. 79) interesting. I had never thought about how the outwards appearance of books are their unique visual identity that competes with other books on the shelf. Especially different editions, which need to be different from the last. I thought this idea was interesting because it can applied to not only books, but other mediums as well. Books, music, and other mediums take on a “life” of their own separate from the person who created it. One example I can think of is the debate surrounding separating the art from the artist. Although the person who created something might not be the best person, we may judge their work separately.
In “The End of Books” I found the Hypertext Hotel created in a workshop Coover ran very interesting. Out of curiosity, I tried to find some archive or version of the Hypertext Hotel that is still available online but wasn’t able to. I’m not sure if it’s only available to Brown University students. The chaotic nature of this project would not be possible without hyperspace, but as Coover said the technology seems “fragile and short-lived” (p. 7). But also, whats wrong with that? While it would have been nice for it to exist for centuries like Coover wanted it almost feels more special that it didn’t. It feels like you had to be there to truly appreciate it. In a period of literacy there is a concern for preservation and order, so naturally that stays with us in the period of electracy. The fragmented nature of hypertext reminded me of what Bolter was saying about papyrus rolls not having a sense of closure and how that might be a reflection of mainly oral culture.
