Response Assignment #4

Hi folks — since the reading I had originally designated for next week is available in handout only, I’m jumping ahead in the syllabus a bit.

For next week, please read the following:

Gibson, William. (1984) Neuromancer. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group.

Part Two * The Shopping Expedition, Section 3.

This time, instead of listing questions, I’m going to ask you to either write about whatever most takes your attention (as it relates in style, content, or concept) about the culture/s of cyberspace OR compare this reading to another previous reading.

Response Assignment #3

For the next class, please read:

• Wells, H.G. (1940) “The Time Machine,” Chapters I-IV, p.201-236 in The Time Machine & The Wheels of Chance. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd. (Handout)
• Borges, Jorge. (1941) The Garden of the Forking Paths.

Consider the following questions, as you read through each, and be sure to address BOTH readings.

1. Discuss Well’s description of time travel and the fourth dimension. What parallels does he draw to contemporary cyberspace and/or cyberspace culture? Be sure to include examples.
2. What is the significance of the reference in “The Garden of the Forking Paths” to Ts’ui Pen’s labyrinth?
3. In what ways does Borges problematize the seeming authority and truth of a history book? How is this significant to contemporary cultural cyberspace perspectives?
4. In the “Garden of the Forking Paths,” what non-linear narrative dynamics are at play? Explain and give examples.
5. Why does Wells chose to give most of his characters jobs to identify them instead of names? What is the effect of not naming the characters?
6. What did Ts’ui Pên mean when he wrote, in his letter, “I leave to the various futures (not to all) my garden of forking paths”? Why is his “garden” absent from some “futures”? Which ones? What role do such letters play in the story, literally and symbolically? Are these letters in any way related to Yu Tsun’s statement, “the future already exists … but I am your friend. Could I see the letter again”?
7. How does the time traveler describe the sensations of time travel? And what, if any, fears arise that parallel contemporary concerns? What sort of world does the time traveler enter, and how does it compare to today?

And, as always, feel free to write about anything else that takes your attention in each (that you believe is relevant to this course); just be sure to make those connections explicit and provide textual examples.

Response Assignment #2

For next class, read the following:

• Woolf, Virginia. Chapter 1 of Orlando (the link might take you to the table of contents, rather than the actual chapter; if so, be sure to click on Chapter one)
• Joyce, James. Chapter 2 of Ulysses (ditto above)

Consider any of the following questions as you approach and begin to think about these readings:

1. How does the style of each (the way each is written) reflect or inform some of the ideas, concepts, and themes we have thus far discussed in class? In other words, in what ways do both Joyce and Woolf explore contemporary themes through the use of sentence structure, plot narrative (or lack thereof), the construction of the writing, and/or use of language? In what ways do both authors challenge the boundaries of language and narrative construct? And what does any of that got to do with cyberspace culture of today?
2. What themes arise within the content that begin to portend (or predict) many of the contemporary cyberspace themes of today, which we have discussed in class? In what ways do both authors address issues of gender, time, space, and/or identity, for instance? And how do these themes reflect or in some way begin to inform much of our cyberspace culture today?
3. In what ways are each of the texts highly “coded”? How would identifying these kinds of literary codes help us to begin understanding literature within contemporary culture?

In this instance, I will ask that you only focus on one of the readings (for the blog response) — whichever is your choice. However, be prepared to discuss BOTH in class. Remember to provide textual examples when appropriate.

Response Assignment #1

After reading the handout with excerpts from The City of the Sun and the four chapters in Frankenstein, consider the following questions. You do not have to answer any specific set of questions, and you are also free to write about something else that takes your attention, but your discussion about each reading should be thoughtful and critical, paying particular attention to themes within both readings that point to contemporary cyberspace culture. Be sure to address BOTH readings, and also engage in a discussion with your student colleagues. Do not merely repeat what another student writes, but rather discuss your own thoughts as they relate to those of others.

* Back up your thoughts with examples and/or quotes from the text!!

1. What kind of world does The City of the Sun seem to describe? In what ways does this narrative seem to inform or reflect human society’s inevitable move toward a cyberspace culture? Provide examples and quotes.

2. Discuss Dr. Frankenstein’s obsession with creating another being as it relates to contemporary issues of science and technology today. What parallels seem to exist between today’s reality and this fictional story? What are the parallel ethical issues? Provide examples and quotes.

3. In what ways does the monster exemplify or seem to describe the contemporary idea of the cyborg? Is the monster an early literary version of the cyborg? Why or why not? Provide examples and quotes.

4. Reflect upon and describe the gendered characteristics, behaviors, and actions described of the people in The City of the Sun and the monster within Frankenstein. In what ways are gender borders being crossed? How do these descriptions parallel contemporary issues of gender, particularly as influenced by the culture of cyberspace? Provide examples and quotes.

5. How is interaction with the reader achieved in Frankenstein and/or The City of the Sun? How is that similar and/or different from an entry in a face book or a myspace journal?