Reading Quiz 1 (revised)

1.)    In chapter 1 or Writing Space, Bolter is inclined to celebrate the end of print text. One comment Bolter makes in the chapter is that traditionally there is a distance between the author and the reader, saying the reader is "only a visitor in the author's cathedral" (p. 4). He then proceeds to say that now, in the late age of print, "digital technology seems to reduce the distance between author and reader by turning the reader into an author herself." He seems to approve of this through his tone and mentioning that this "tendency to magnify the author and to empower the reader" has already become part of our current way of writing.
    Bolter further celebrates the end of print text by mentioning the many benefits of word processors (p. 9). He implies that word processors demonstrate the ease of electronic writing in "allowing writers to copy, compare, and discard text." Anyone can do this with a pen and paper as well, but what he ends the sentence with is the mentioning of the ease of doing all this with just "the touch of a few buttons." (p. 9). By Bolter's word choice of "a few" buttons, he implies the ease of writing in the late age of print which would further imply him being inclined to celebrate the end of print text.

2.)     Bolter argues that "many critics accuse the computer of promoting homogeneity in our society" (p.11) but he disputes this notion by claiming that electronic reading and writing seem to do just the opposite. This lack of homogeneity the computer propagates is productive in that it relates to the people's "economic and cultural 'special interests'" (p. 12). Computers allow users to break down words and create new patterns of wording and phrases with ease. Though one may think that creating these new patterns can bring about some confusion and make the writing hectic and clogged, it doesn't seem to do so. It simply helps us to reorganize our thoughts and create multiple voices in order to speak and relate to multiple types of readers. The more readers the writing reaches out to and has an effect on, the more productive that piece of writing has been.