In this chapter of Writing Space Bolter contrasts the nature of print and electronic books. He begins by considering the relationship between the physical space of a text (the physical form--scroll, book, electronic text) and the text's conceptual space in the mind of writers and readers, taking into account such factors as volume, the isolation or discreteness of the text, and closure. The electronic text, Bolter asserts, breaks down the barriers that separate print texts from one another. The electronic text is merged with larger units of textual organization and control, such as the encyclopedia, which condenses texts, and the library, which amasses them. Bolter contrasts the print versions of the encyclopedia and the library with the electronic versions, highlighting differences in organization, structure, interactiveness, and incorporation of sound and images. The chapter closes with a brief discussion of the "book of nature" metaphor, which Bolter applies to electronic media, concluding that "if scientists are studying the interdependencies of nature, while humanists are reading hypertexts, then our vision of nature can be reunited with our technology of writing in a way that we have not seen since the Middle Ages" (106). Thus Bolter offers a thoughtful look at ways in which electronic text can transcend the boundaries of print. (Sarah Wadsworth.)

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Michael Hancher

Department of English, University of Minnesota

URL: http://umn.edu/home/mh/ebibsw5.html

Comments to: mh@umn.edu

Created 29 April 1995

Last revised 17 September 1996