Writing about Literature in the Digital Age

Today in class, we were assigned to read the digital E-book, Writing about Literature in the Digital Age. This explores the topic of how blogging, instead of long research papers can introduce new ways of connecting to the things we are reading. I read 2 chapters, A Letter from Hell: Screwtape on the Digital Age as well as Jane Eyre and Social Technology: Changing the Learning Process. 

Beginning with A Letter from Hell, this was an interesting epistle based on the Screwtape Letters by S.C. Lewis. In the letter, Screwtape is writing to his Nephew about how to tempt mankind into certain damnation. He states that "Complacency is the greatest tool in our Father's arsenal...never let the human see the opportunities that lie before him." This letter is comparing the complacency of humans that bring about damnation in the Screwtape letters to the complacency of the literary society about using the resources that are so readily available to them. I thought that this was such an interesting format for a persuasive essay that it immediately caught my attention and made me want to read more, because it was entertaining. This is proof that blogging can be an extremely effective way to connect to a specific audience. While doing research on the Screwtape Letters, I came across this podcast and link to all the other mediums that have been based on C.S Lewis's letters. It is interesting to see how these letters have been interpreted and changed to fit the other formats. http://allaboutcslewis.com/2011/08/25/the-screwtape-letters-temptation-church-and-prayer/

Jane Eyre and Social Technology was put in the format of an online forum. By adding the persona of Jane Eyre to the forum discussion, it allows an interesting  first person perspective on the subject of class curriculum. In the forum, they create a formula for learning. First, to have a fondness for some the subjects you are learning, second, a desire to excel in all, and finally a delight in pleasing teachers that are actively engaged in the learning process. By allowing online forums in a classroom setting, Teachers allow students to explore the subjects that they are interested in, gain a desire to learn more and then the Teacher helps to discuss and teach about the things they are learning. By including an online resource such as forums, it allows students to get their thoughts and ideas out there without feeling the pressure of having to talk in a classroom setting about things they aren't interested in. Once they are used to talking about ideas and are interested in knowledge as a whole unit, rather than individual subjects, this creates a better learning environment within the classroom. I believe that by letting students to learn to enjoy knowledge, it allows them to open up and makes the standard teaching process more effective.