Testing out

Chapter One
Do a search for the word “sympathy” in the text. It shows up quite a bit. Think about the way the characters interact with each other, what they want and sometimes what they don’t get. As the novel opens, Walton deeply desires some level of intimate companionship and interaction. How does this theme of sympathy develop throughout the book? Do we see different forms of sympathy or a desire for a different kind of relationship? It does not have to be man to man or man to woman, but can happen in terms of a relationship with technology or nature (think in terms of the sublime). You might begin by looking for words that imply or necessitate a degree of sympathy: “romance,” “friendship,” “companionship,” “respect,” “understanding,” “sentiment,” “connection,” “relationship.”

Chapter Two
In The Computer Ate My Book, Douglas Rushkoff writes, “Computers have reminded us of the special ability of books to provide a kind of experience you can’t get anywhere else.” Matthew Kirschenbaum, in his response to the Reading at Risk report, sees the transformation of the computer “ from a utilitarian instrument to a culturally alive catalyst for writing, reading, and thinking.”And yet Rushkoff also notes that the book provides a reading experience that isn’t going to go away.

Other works
As I’ve noted on the syllabus, I want you to read Volume III through the online text, specifically the digital edition on Romantic Circles. For this post, I want you to discuss this experience – your problems with it, the advantages of it, etc.