Land of Lime

A poem is meant to be recited.

A play is supposed to be performed.

Only a novel is read in solitude. But then novel is a product of print culture.

Now as we come to terms with the digitization of our cultural practices and everyday life that is happening at such a rapid pace, let us imagine how a poem or a play can be re-presented digitally. Let us imagine the contrast between reading Hamlet in solitude and have Laurence Olivier and all the other great performers re-enact Hamlet for us. Personally, I am a ‘word’ person and I want to read everything. I want to let my imagination help me bring Hamlet alive. If I can also access Olivier through some gizmo, that would also be kinda neat.

But it’s not about my preference anymore. Books are becoming available digitally and they are not scanned versions of printed books. This is true of old printed books, which are being scanned and made available to the world by Google et al. Reading these digitally marked up books will be a different experience.

Let me also ask a more specific question, which has a narrow focus. What is the impact of digitization on scholarship and pedagogy? Is digitization only an archival, preservation strategy? Or do texts get transformed and become kinds of cultural artifacts? How will all this impact our own reading, writing and pedagogical practices?
Now read a revised version of The Polyglot manifesto again. And let us think about the difference between print and digital cultures. Seriously.