old v. new media

With my primary area in 19^th Century English Literature, I find myself in the midst of the “old” media and this new concept of “new media.” After spending the weekend reading Vanity Fair, an 800+ page novel by Tackeray, I find myself desiring a “new media” version of the story. Why? Because that seems like it would be more fun somehow. Then I ask myself what would a new media version of a novel be like? Is it possible? (I am trying to develop a new media project on Great Expections; we'll see how that turns out). Some may suggest that I rent the movie. But would the movie version offer the same narration, description, and overall effect as the novel? I doubt it, but the movie could be valued for its artistic qualities. For 19th C. Britons, reading Vanity Fair was entertaining, possibly something similar to soap operas we have today. However, reading the novel now, in our highly digitalized and visual world, is just plain work (not that I didn’t enjoy it).

Also, the very linear aspects of the novel do not allow for the fragmentation that our fast paced culture seems to promote. Since our world is moving and transforming so fast, do we lessen the value we placed on old media forms? Miller writes that “the old hierarchies of linear thought, sublime (and sublimated!) engagements with art, poetry, music, science, and history are no longer needed to do the ideological work now conducted again along the lines of ‘current’ ” (33). I have a tendency to disagree with Miller that the old hierarchies of linear thought are no longer needed, and I hesitate to abandon completely linear thought. Wouldn’t it be useful to find value in both linear and fragmented thought processes? Furthermore, I’m stuck on his phrase “to do the ideological work.” How exactly does he suggest that ideology is created? Is it merely through the “machinery of culture”? Does he make room for old media? I think he does, but it’s a very small room, bombarded with current cultural trends.

Reading this over, I feel like an “old school” elitist academic. I’m starting to compare my thoughts to those found in Allan Bloom’s “Music.” I don’t want to sound stuck in old media; maybe I’m just trying to grapple with finding a space for my discipline.

Also, I had two very different reading experiences over the last couple days. While reading Vanity Fair, I curled up with a blanket and made myself comfortable. Usually I print out anything that we have to read off the computer for comfort sake. However, this time I read Free Culture while at the computer with a word document opened for notes. I always enjoyed the more comfortable way of reading, but I found that my second reading experience seemed more productive. I always underline / annotate while reading a hard copy, but I found myself cutting and pasting passages out of Free Culture and then commenting on some of those passages. However, the notes are rather fragmented (an idea I can't seem to get away from), and I sometimes wondered just why I chose certain quotes over others. Again, just reflecting on my experiences reading old texts with newer (and new forms of) texts.

Lots packed in here; maybe I should have separated it into 2 blogs.