Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.58 (896 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0674055454 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 228 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Interesting ideas in a mixed-up presentation Mark Howells There are without a doubt some brilliant ideas in this book. However, reading the book is a bit like mining for precious ore, you have to go through a lot of uninteresting rocks to get to the good stuff.It would appear that the author had some serious ideas he wanted to publish and chose book format as conventional and lucrative. However, the book is a mish-mash of ideas tha. P. M. Spiegel said Interesting, well written book. A fascinating book on the history of the written word, with an emphasis on the post-Classical period. A bit dry, but thorough and insightful. An interesting take on changes in technology, both ancient and modern.. A Bracing Conversation on the Future! J. J. O'Donnell is one those scholars whose learning is assumed rather than displayed. As a result, his brief approach to the long-terms effects of the computer revolution on reading and higher education feels like a bracing, sophisticated exchange of ideas. Like conversation, O'Donnell's thesis is not terribly unified or orderly. He often makes sidetracks from his focus on
--Jennifer Buckendorff. Take, for example, the concept of the "virtual library." "The dream of the virtual library comes forward now not because it promises an exciting future," O'Donnell writes, "but because it promises a future that will be just like the past only faster and better." As children, many of us were raised with the sanctity of the library--the quietness, the beauty, the celebration of language, and the idea that this institution provides complete access to the "scarce resource" of information. Crafted with a meandering, laconic style, James O'Donnell witt
In this penetrating and witty book James O'Donnell takes a reading on the promise and the threat of electronic technology for our literate future. The written word has been a central bearer of culture since antiquity. In Avatars of the Word O'Donnell reinterprets today's communication revolution through a series of refracted comparisons with earlier revolutionary periods: the transition from oral to written culture, from the papyrus scroll to the codex, from copied manuscript to print. His engaging portrayals of