The Influence of the World Wide Web on Literature

Introduction

This thesis investigates the influence the World Wide Web is having on literature. The rapid rise in Internet usage in classrooms and homes raises questions about how literature is created and experienced. This research draws from over one hundred online articles, books, and journals, including New Literary History (The University of Virginia) and Postmodern Culture (The John Hopkins University Press), which explore the Internet's impact on literature.

The significance of this work lies in its presentational model, demonstrating how global connectivity enables linked thoughts. Whether these thoughts constitute literature depends on the definition of literature. For this thesis, literature is defined as:

'Writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, romance, history, biography, essays, etc' The Macquarie Dictionary, p. 546.

Written entirely in HTML for an Internet audience, this thesis adopts a conversational style, diverging from traditional academic presentation. My supervisor noted a clash between academic expectations (clear, analytical arguments) and the Web's fragmented, subjective nature. As Jay David Bolter writes:

'In cyberspace, the self is no longer constructed as an autonomous, authorial voice; it becomes instead a wandering eye that occupies various perspectives one after another.' Bolter, Degrees of Freedom

Amrohini Sahay's concept of 'Cybermaterialism' views cyberspace as a capitalist tool, but this thesis argues for cyberobjectivity, where unrestricted expression challenges the textual elite. Literary researcher R.P. Carver's reading model likens reading to a computer program, suggesting digital text manipulation will reinvent literature.

Writing this thesis in the early Internet era is speculative, akin to studying the printing press in the 1450s. The rapid evolution of Internet technology and the 10,000-word limit pose challenges. The hyperlinked format, while innovative, complicated editing due to excessive links. This work aims to inspire further exploration of the Web's impact on literature, especially as students increasingly access and manipulate texts online.