Engaging

Engaging

“All Roads” is an electronic text that, I feel, forces the reader to engage in the text in order to read it.  Unlike other plain electronic texts like stories found on Internet search engines, this case of electronic text is a legitimate text one could read in school.  In my opinion, this electronic text is a great way to engage the reader in that if you do not follow closely to what’s going on, you have no idea how to get to the next part.  Obviously this also works against you in that if you don’t understand what is happening you cannot get the next text to read.  Birkerts feels electronic text is a distraction that prevents you from engaging and “reading between the lines.”  “All Roads,” however not only forces you to engage but allows you to “read between the lines” by asking questions.  ”All Roads” is not simply text that you read electronically, it is interactive text in which you type commands (words) in order to get to the next text.  What separates distracting ordinary electronic text from “All Roads” is that “All Roads” is read with a program that is used to interact between the reader and the text, which in this case forces you to engage and read the whole story in order to fully understand what is happening.

Birkerts states many points to support his opinion that electronic texts are distractions and make it difficult to “read between the lines” to find the author’s intent.  However, I feel Birkerts does not properly analyze some of the stories he includes in “The Gutenberg Elegies” because he is so biased against electronic media.  If he wasn’t biased he would realize that a good piece of writing (text) doesn’t necessarily have to be produced only in the form of a printed novel in order to engage the reader.  Today it can come from electronic text interfaced with a program that does everything a book does but more.  One example of his countering what someone else says occurs in chapter eight: Into the Electronic Millennium, where an ex-professor is selling Birkerts all his books because he thinks the world is moving away from printed text.  Although I partially disagree with the ex-professor in that print is currently a thing of the past.  I do agree with him that electronic text is a change that will eventually take over printed text.  Right now it is not always a good way to read because much of it is shallow and a distraction.  The ex-professor says to Birkerts at the end of his speech:

“Many educators say that our students are less and less able to read, or analyze, or write with clarity and purpose.  Who can blame the students?  Everything they meet with in the world around them gives the signal: That was then, and electronic communications are now.” [p. 119 Birkerts]

I feel this quote would support “All Roads” in that it is using technology to engage the reader into the electronic text in order to understand it.  However, Birkerts clearly is against electronic text and feels it is a distraction to the reader.

I agree with Birkerts that some electronic text can be distracting.  However, not all-electronic text is distracting but some is actually engaging.  “All Roads” forces you to engage in order to understand what is going on and make the story flow.  Although it is my opinion that “All Roads” engages the reader that doesn’t mean that all electronic texts engage all readers.  However, not every text printed engages like Birkerts claims.  I feel that Birkerts needs to accept progress.  Just as books evolved from ancient scrolls, electronic technology is evolving.  Examples such as “All Roads” prove it is a great way to engage a reader.

Birkerts is very big on you becoming part of the story and being able to “read between the lines” of a novel to truly understand it.  He wants you to engage yourself as the following quote shows:

“If feat is too difficult, spend some time with a novel from the period.  Read between the lines and reconstruct.  Move through the sequence of a character’s day and then juxtapose the images and sensations you find with those in the life of the average urban or suburban dweller today.” [p. 120 Birkerts]

Birkerts feels you can’t get the same thing from a printed book as electronic text.  However, “All Roads” gives you much more and Birkerts would have to reanalyze his thoughts and opinions.  If he were to read “All Roads” not only would be able to “read between the lines” but he would also be able ask the electronic text questions.  So if Birkerts were to analyze “All Roads” this quote from “The Gutenberg Elegies” would also go with my electronic text in that you not only can “read between the lines” but you can ask questions to the program to clarify things and command it to do certain things.  The author is giving “All Roads” a “soul” by making it a program.  It is not just paper with text – it is text that talks back to you on your command.  Wouldn’t it be easier and more engaging to read a book and be able to ask the author what he means in a specific part?  You obviously can’t do this, so wouldn’t the next best thing be to “communicate” with the text and find out details to help you understand the point the author is trying to make?  I think so.

The argument I anticipate against “All Roads” is “well if the reader’s confused and is stuck on a part of “All Roads”, how can he move on?”  My answer is “you can’t.”  Do you always continue to read a novel when you’re confused and don’t understand something?   You shouldn’t if you don’t clearly know what is happening.  The genius of “All Roads” is that it forces you to understand what is currently happening in the story in order to move on.  This is a great technique that forces the reader to engage more fully.

In the end, I feel Birkerts is guilty of shallow thinking and biased against electronic texts.  “All Roads” is an electronic text he should support because his points against all forms of electronic texts for the most part are actually supported in “All Roads.”  The only exception is that you can’t physically touch paper, which contains the text.  I feel strongly that “All Roads” is a legitimate text that could be studied in school because it does more than printed text could ever do to engage the reader.

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