Himmer Explores the Weblog as Literary Form - Brittany & Ellen

In Himmer’s article, he discusses the literary weblog and what exactly makes a weblog literary. He does not focus so much on the actual content of weblogs since they all vary (but are all guided by one person, their author), as seen through his various given examples in his intro. However, Himmer makes note of the technical delivery of the content. He answers the questions: “What do weblogs do? How do they do it for writers and readers?”

Himmer outlines the delivery of content through novels and newspapers, two literary devices that have been around long before blogging:

Novels:

• Fiction or Science Fiction: Whichever genre, it is generally defined and known by audience
• Reader identifies the narrator, the presence of the narrator, and the other characters
• Published and completed
• No direct, open, or continuous communication with audience
• Audience engagement and feedback at most includes reviews, book signings, etc.
• Edited by others (editor, publisher)

Newspapers:

• Factual
• Overall voice is ignored in favor of the facts and opinions that must be processed as information intended to give.
• Also edited by others (copy editors)

What about a Weblog?

• Content
• Personal
• Controversial
• Informal, Conversational in Tone
• Brief
• Requires the reader to both process information and interpret whether fact or fiction
• “Identify/discover” the author
• Example: Tim O’Brien, The Things We Carried
• “Makes the stomach believe”
• Reader participation and conversation
• Cybertext – feedback loop
• Entrance points not decided by the author
• Way for reader to influence/orchestrate production through process of reading
• Easily accessible
• TIME: No time constraint
• Always in a process; never completed
• Arguments and pieces can be gradual built
• Potentiality
• Infinite number of texts, “creations that create”
• Ergodic work – offers multiple paths of traversing text
• Guided by individual intentions
• Not edited, sole editor is the author