高英课文：Bards-Of-the-Internet

1《BardsOftheInternet》ByPhilipElmer-DeWitt1.Oneoftheunintendedsideeffectsoftheinventionofthetelephonewasthatwritingwentoutofstyle.Oh,sure,therewerestillfull-timescribblers--journalists,academics,professionalwordsmiths.Andthegreatcentersofcommercestillfounditusefultokeeponhandpeoplewhocoulddraftamemo,abrief,apressreleaseoracontract.Butgivenachoicebetweenpickingupapenoraphone,mostfolkstooktheeasyrouteandgavetheirfingers--andsometimestheirmind--arest.2.Whichmakeswhat'shappeningonthecomputernetworksallthemorestartling.Everynight,whentheyshouldbewatchingtelevision,millionsofcomputeruserssitdownattheirkeyboards;dialintoCompuServe,Prodigy,AmericaOnlineortheInternet;andstarttyping--E-mail,bulletin-boardpostings,chatmessages,rants,diatribes,evenshortstoriesandpoems.JustwhenthemediaofMcLuhanweresupposedtorenderobsoletethemediumofShakespeare,theonlineworldisexperiencingthegreatestboominletterwritingsincethe18thcentury.3.ItismyoverwhelmingbeliefthatE-mailandcomputerconferencingisteachinganentiregenerationabouttheflexibilityandutilityofprose,writesJonCarroll,acolumnistattheSanFranciscoChronicle.PatrickNielsenHayden,aneditoratTorBooks,compareselectronicbulletinboardswiththescribblers'compactsofthelate18thandearly19thcenturies,inwhichmemberspassedlettersfromhandtohand,addingalittlemoreateachturn.DavidSewell,anassociateeditorattheUniversityofArizona,likensnetwritingtotheliterarysceneMarkTwaindiscoveredinSanFranciscointhe1860s,whenpeoplewerereinventingjournalismbygraftingitontothetall-talefolktradition.OthersharkbacktoTomPaineandtheRevolutionaryWarpamphleteers,oreventotheElizabethanera,when,thankstoGutenberg,agenerationofEnglishwritersbecameintoxicatedwithlanguage.4.Butsuchcomparisonsinviteaquestion:Ifonlinewritingtodayrepresentssomesortofrenaissance,whyissomuchofitsoawful?Foritcanbeverybadindeed:sloppy,meandering,2puerile,ungrammatical,poorlyspelled,badlystructuredandattimesvirtuallycontentfree.HEY!!!1!readsanalltootypicalmessageontheInternet,ITHINKMETALLICAIZREELKOOLDOOD!1!!!5.Onereason,ofcourse,isthatE-mailisnotlikeordinarywriting.Youneedtothinkofthisas'writtenspeech,'saysGerardVanderLeun,aliteraryagentbasedinWestport,Connecticut,whohasemergedasoneofthepre-eminentstylistsontheNet.Thesethingsarelittlemoreconsideredthancoffeehousetalkandalotlessconsideredthanaletter.They'renottohaveandhold;they'retofireandforget.Manyonlinepostingsarecomposedlivewiththeclockticking,usingrudimentarywordprocessorsoncomputersystemsthatchargebytheminuteandinsomecaseswillshutdownwithoutwarningwhenanhourrunsout6.ThatisnottosaythatwithmoretimeeverywriterontheInternetwouldproducesparklingcopy.Muchofthefictionandpoetryissecond-rateorworse,whichisnotsurprisinggiventhatthebarrierstoentryaresolow.Intherealworld,saysMaryAnneMohanraj,aChicago-basedpoet,ittakesahellofalotofworktogetpublished,whichnaturallyweedsoutalotofthegarbage.OntheNet,justafewkeystrokessendsyourwritingouttothousandsofreaders.7.Butevenamongthereamsofbadpoetry,gemsaretobefound.MikeGodwin,aWashington-basedlawyerwhopostsunderthepennamemnemonic,tellsthestoryofJoeGreen,atechnicalwriteratCrayResearchwhoturnedamoribunddiscussiongroupcalledrec.arts.poemsintoarealpoetryworkshopbymercilesslycritiquingthepieceshefoundthere.Somepeoplegotangryandsaidifhewassuchagodofpoetry,whydidn'thepublishhispoemstothegroup?recallsGodwin.Hedid,andblewthemallaway.Green'sWellMetinMinnesota,amock-epicaccountofaface-to-facemeetingwithafellownetworkscribbler,isnowreveredontheInternetasaclassic.Itbegins,ThetruthisthatwhenImetMarkIwasdressedastheCanterburyTales.Ratherdifficulttodoasyoumightsuspect,butIwantedtomakeacertainimpression.8.Themoreprosaictechnicalandpoliticaldiscussiongroups,meanwhile,havebecomesocrowdedwithwriterscryingfor3attentionthataDarwiniansurvivalprinciplehasstartedtoprevail.It'ssocompetitivethatyouhavetoworkonyourstyleifyouwanttomakeanyimpact,saysJornBarger,asoftwaredesignerinChicago.GoodwritingontheNettendstobeclear,vigorous,wittyandaboveallbrief.Themediumfavorstheterse,saysCrawfordKilian,awritingteacheratCapilanoCollegeinVancouver,BritishColumbia.Shortparagraphs,bulletedlistsandone-linersaretheunitsofthoughthere.9.Someofthemostsuccessfulnetwritingisproducedincomputerconferences,wherewriterscomposeinakindofcollaborativeheat,knockingideasagainstoneanotheruntiltheyspark.PerhapsthebestexamplesofthisarefoundontheWELL,aSausalito,California,bulletinboardfavoredbyjournalists.Thecaliberofdiscussionisoftensohighthatseveralpublications--includingtheNewYorkTimesandtheWallStreetJournal--haveprintedexcerptsfromtheWELL.10.Curiously,whatworksonthecomputernetworksisn'tnecessarilywhatworksonpaper.Netwritersfreelylacetheirprosewithstrangeacronymsandsmileys,thelittlefacesconstructedwithpunctuationmarksand|intendedtoconveythewinks,grinsandgrimacesofordinaryconversations.Somehowitallflowstogetherquitesmoothly.Ontheotherhand,polishedprosecopiedontobulletinboardsfrombooksandmagazinesoftenseemslong-windedandphony.Unlesstheyadjusttothenewmedium,professionalwriterscancomeacrossasself-importantblowhardsindebateswithmorenimblene