#readingresponse7

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics begins with the author establishes his definition of a comic. After several attempts he finally decides on “sequential art” but often uses “juxtaposed, pictorial, and other images in deliberate sequence” when critiquing other evidence of hieroglyphics as forms of early comics.  Essentially, sequential art is art that is intended to be viewed side-by-side or ‘juxtaposed’ as McCloud describes the two pieces’ relationship. McCloud argues sequential art has been around for centuries and cites the pre-Colombian Picture Manuscript “discovered” by Cortés in 1519. Max Ernst’s Collage Novel was called “A Masterpiece of 20th Century Art,” but McCloud claims that sequence still plays a central role in the work even without the lack of a conventional story. McCloud also makes an interesting distinction between the relationship between cartoons versus comics. Comic book/ comic strip artists approach to picture making through the style of comics and cartoons are a tool of the medium which it often employs. They are not the same thing. McCloud then discusses in chapter 2 his definition of an icon: “Any imaged used to represent a person, place, thing or idea.” Within the category of icons, there are symbols, languages, science, communication, and pictures. Symbols represent concepts, ideas, and philosophies whereas pictures resemble their subjects.  The language, science, and communication trio represented by the letter “A” or the number “1”. McCloud argues that in “non-pictorial icons” definition or meanings are “fixed and absolute.” His example is the letter “m” written in several different fonts, but they all ultimately represent the same thing. 

The article “Digital reading spaces: How expert readers handle books, the Web and electronic paper,” by Terje Hillesund discusses the technological bases of reading. This study takes a look at the different ways readers handle printed texts and digital texts. There are many difference between reading a text in print or digitally. This article really made me reflect on my own way of reading and how society’s preference has changed.  I personally would rather read a text in print this way I can annotate and make notes on the physical sheet of paper. I know you can highlight and interest notes on a digital reading but I find it difficult. I believe this is because when I was in grammar school the only available option was printed texts and at that time even when people looked up information on the internet they would print it out to read it. Today younger generations are growing up in a society were digital is the “easiest” and preferred style of reading. Everything is through technology today and in digital print today, newspapers, books, weather forecasts, invitations are even done through E-mail. So it is not just in the world of education it is a shift for our entire society. The older generation must adjust to the use of technology or they will be left  behind in the manual world. Younger generations are being born into this and the digital way is all they know. I doubt if you walk into a fifth grade class any of the students in that class would be able to successfully find a printed book in a Library but if you asked them to find you a digital copy of the text or another digital resource they would be able to do it in seconds.