I have
twisted the language to contrive the title of this essay because I want to
interrogate the future of literacy both its electronic formations (if
indeed these differ from its pre-electronic ones) and its social origins
and effects. Hence: I am using the unpronounceable locution e-literacies
in two different ways:
There are a
number of ways to read this essay, none of which will exactly replicate
the text of the talk I gave. Take chances
with your choices.
A
significant feature of hypertext environments is their capacity for
inclusion: they want to construct vast and necessarily unfinished collages
of documents to represent the knowledge (and the
agon) of a discipline.
When I wrote this piece, no such boundless writing space existed. The WWW
has begun to fulfill the hypertextual dream Ted Nelson has articulated for
so long. But while we await its full flowering, I have created a
simulacrum of a domain by offering extended passages from some of authors
I cite. The current state of copyright law, however, precludes posting
works in their entirety (and frankly, scanning or typing that much stuff
would have been too tedious and time-consuming anyway).
To comply with the "fair use" provisions of the law, I have included less
than 10% of any given work. As scholarly work migrates to the Web or
whatever comes after, such ruses may no longer be necessary. We shall
see.
New and
Improved
The transposition from print to web
inevitably involves translations of other print conventions, references to
works cited, for example. In most cases, I cite works in the usual way --
with short in-text information linked to an entry on a list of works
cited. Citations of those works on which this essay draws heavily are
linked to an extended passages. Those citations are accompanied by this
symbol -- 
.
Because this medium permits
invented-as-we-go accomodations to the fluidity of hypertextual
discourses, this essay evolves: new material appears from time to time.
This section was written and posted on January 26, 1996, a year after the
essay first appeared on the Web. It has been revised in September 1996.
Since this essay was first posted in January 1995, it has received many
responses, at least one of which offers a considered critique. Because
Professor Tuman gave me permission to post his remarks and provide a link
to them from "E-Literacies," his text has now
become another node in the network comprising this
essay.
You will find a number of points of departure from "E-Literacies" to
Professor Tuman's response. The route back is somewhat more constrained:
to comply with his conditions, I have created only one return link. It
will transport the reader back to this paragraph. Savvy hypertextual
literates will know how to travel at will and to find their way back to
the place from which they segued to Tuman's
response, if they so desire.
E-Literacies
includes approximately 35 nodes
and 180 links.
A Ways to Go:
The Academic Dispute
Way In / Way Out
What's At Stake
Definitions of Strange
Locutions
Nancy Kaplan takes responsibility
-- for this URL at least --
and can be reached electronically at
NAKaplan@ubmail.ubalt.edu
I welcome comments, additions, quibbles.
