Blog 6

Analysis Post

We started this semester by looking at debates about new reading platforms. Some folks fell into the pro-print camp, preferring tried-and-true paper media. Others looked at the changing media landscape and praised digital technologies as a way forward for literature. Having read both print and digital media over the course of the semester, we’re ending with a book that makes a different kind of argument entirely. Jarett Kobek’s screed I Hate the Internet doesn’t critique digital platforms as bad ways to read; rather, he critiques digital platforms as bad ways to organize society.

The task for this sixth and final post will be to offer a review of Kobek’s novel that engages with his critique of the internet. A good review has to do at least two things at once. First, it has to offer readers a sense of the book. And second, it has to comment on the book, making an argument about its value. That argument should use examples from the book as evidence, which will help give readers a better sense of the book. But more importantly, it will give readers an analysis of the book. Commentary with examples make literary analysis. See the New York Review of Books for professional examples.

For a full explanation of how to write a book review, see the excellent online guide offered by the Writing Center at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Note that reviews have to include some basic information, including the author’s name and the book’s title. It can help to do a little research as well, to give readers more information about the author or the issues under discussion. As always, practice good blogging techniques by using links, multimedia, and engaging prose. This is your last post of the semester; you should demonstrate all the elements of blogging you’ve learned in this course.