I believe I am at peace with the internet. I
have found the link between the past and the present, thus have lost my fear of
the future. For the ‘blog’ I have heard so much about, and avoided like the plague
of proverb, is merely an essay. The world of publishing may have left the world
of ink, paper and type-setting behind it, but the genres remain unchanged.
Expository, Analytical and Argumentative, (Di Yanni,
2005) are the types of essay described in ‘Twenty-Five Great Essays’ and these
are still our primary motivations for expressing ourselves; the exposition of our
own ideas, the analysis of the ideas of others, and arguments for and against
ideas, institutions and events.
There is not much room for the essay on social
media sites such as Facebook. This is the domain of novelty; if it takes more
than ten seconds, it’s probably too long. The genre of the cartoon fits in
here, so too the lampooning of stereotypes and social institutions. Philosophical
messages of personal well-being abound here, so too the political protest. But
it has to be suitably abbreviated to be heard.
The essay is ‘different from the professional
article in that it promotes the lively exchange of ideas’ and ‘opens the door
for new ideas to come to life’ (Schulte, 2002). Essays such as Annie Dillard’s ‘Living
Like Weasels’ will always be relevant, even if the weasel should become
extinct; for it will live on as an archetype of the human psyche. My fear of ‘post-humanism’
will now be held only for those who have grown too afraid to explore the
strange and wonderful creatures they are; not only in the digital ‘place’ we
have created for expression, but in the real world, to which we are inexorably
linked; whether we have learned to like it or not.
For an exploration of a digital genre that
examines all that it means to be of this intangible world, follow this link to a short
film- Tall Ships @ Port Adelaide
The Essay, Rainer Schulte, World Literature Today , Vol. 76, No. 2
(Spring, 2002), p. 115
Published by: University of Oklahoma
Stable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40157278
Image- http://sleevage.com/the-mothers-of-invention-weasels-ripped-my-flesh/
Hi, nice blog.
ReplyDeleteBefore we began this assignment I was also slightly apprehensive about writing blogs. However, after reading your blog and the DiYanni (2005) reading, my fears have been minimized. It is interesting to see how the essay genre encompasses a vast field of interests - from the formal to the personal.
I also liked your comparison between the genre of Facebook and blogs. I agree that Facebook should not be considered an essay in that it is short and other people can have a great influence on the overall ending message. Whereas, blogs are more informative and have a structure reminiscent to that of the essay.
Reference
DiYanni, R. (2005). Introduction: Reading and writing essays. Twenty-five great essays (pp. 1-30). Penguin Academics. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1219815-dt-content-rid-920572_1/courses/13-BA1002-TSV-EXT-SP2/Subject%20Materials/Week%206%20Required%20Readings%20Diyanni%2C%20R.%20%282005%29%20%27Introduction%20%20reading%20and%20writing%20essays%27./reading%20%26%20writing%20essays.pdf