Final Comments
I wanted to conclude by saying that my journey in this course has been an interesting and difficult one. It has been interesting looking at the evolution of the oral and written culture. In doing so, I came to understand more about all forms of writing including pictorial writing. What I find interesting is the statement made by Bolter:
“In all picture writing, before and after literacy, the elements exist at the margin between linguistic and pictorial meaning. Sometimes, particularly when the picture text is a narrative, the elements seem to aim for the specificity of language. Sometimes, these same elements move back into a world of pure form and become shapes that we admire for their visual economy. The elements oscillate between being signs and being images, or rather it is the reader who oscillates in her perception of the elements. Whenever she find herself admiring the simplicity of computer icons, she has ceased to examine these elements as signs in a text. In the next instant she may resume her role as reader and treat the elements as arbitrary signs, as glyphs in an electronic alphabet. This oscillation is a characteristic of reading in the late age of print.”
I believe that this constant oscillation is what makes it so difficult for me. Being immersed in the late age of print, the switch between signs and images becomes part of the subconscious reaction to print. It really makes me reflect on the differences between the two forms of representation when they are so clearly defined in the other readings. I must say though that I really had a fun time experimenting with text in 3 dimensions and text in motion. I believe that these aspects change text into new and interesting ways that may affect the printed space for years to come.