CCBC-Net Archives
Nonlinear Narratives
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Eliza T. Dresang <edresang>
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 1998 07:24:46 -0400
They seemed to like the mysteriousness of the book and
As Dean notes in his comments on nonlinear narratives, they seem to prompt a high level of involvement on the part of the reader --both spontaneous and teacher?cilitated. And, I might add, both from adults and from young readers. Perhaps it is the "mysteriousness" and the fact that no reader
"has all the answers" about text and, in the case of Making Up Megaboy, also the illustrations.
One twelve year old to whom I gave this book said, "The whole story is to make kids think. Adults think that kids just want everything to be straightforward, but kids like to think." That's why I have been drawn to these "out of order" books with open endings (often) -- because they almost demand thoughtful reader response.
Making Up Megaboy has been a book that has done just that since it first appeared early in 1998. It wasn't actually published until March but a few people obtained pre-publication readers copies. Immediately a flurry of discussion appeared on the "non-focused" online discussion groups (a number of the commentators young readers). Since then, mention of it has consistently resurfaced as other readers have discovered it. I would say that it has become one of the most discussed/debated books of this year -and former years, too. It has not taken long to draw attention both because of its content but perhaps especially because of its format.
Isn't this one of the marks of a "good book," i.e., that it lures readers into thinking and commenting, even though the conclusions various readers reach may differ? If it becomes "infinitely discussable" then it becomes what we call "a classic." Way too early to know that about Megaboy -- but it is at least a "momentary classic" in this sense of the word.
One of the things that has interested me as I've watched the various ways that authors and illustrations write in "nonlinear ways" is how many different ways there are to do this. Making Up Megaboy is one. Whirligig is another. Bat 6 is another. They key ingredient seems to be the interactivity of the reader with the text in constructing the story -- and how the authors carefully structure their work to prompt the reader to engage in this level of involvement. (To me it's a true partnership between writer and reader).
Making Up Megaboy is brilliant, deep, stirring to some. It is confusing and puzzling to others. It is pointless or trite to some and elucidating and profound to others. But it is difficult to find a reader for whom it fails to be provocative -- and from whom it fails to elicit a strong reaction.
Incidentally, I've noticed that although nonlinear texts don't go from
"here to there" in a straight line, most seem, ultimately, still to go from
"here to there" in an overall linear way (or ways, as there are often several choices). That is, are the deviations along the way and the end may not be conclusive, but the overall progression seems linear to me. Do you agree? Is linearity inevitable even when the reader chooses different nonlinear ways to travel from beginning to some kind of end? That is, even though there is seemingly chaos (or choice) along the way there is still order?
Eliza Dresang School of Information Studies Florida State University
Received on Sat 03 Oct 1998 06:24:46 AM CDT
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 1998 07:24:46 -0400
They seemed to like the mysteriousness of the book and
As Dean notes in his comments on nonlinear narratives, they seem to prompt a high level of involvement on the part of the reader --both spontaneous and teacher?cilitated. And, I might add, both from adults and from young readers. Perhaps it is the "mysteriousness" and the fact that no reader
"has all the answers" about text and, in the case of Making Up Megaboy, also the illustrations.
One twelve year old to whom I gave this book said, "The whole story is to make kids think. Adults think that kids just want everything to be straightforward, but kids like to think." That's why I have been drawn to these "out of order" books with open endings (often) -- because they almost demand thoughtful reader response.
Making Up Megaboy has been a book that has done just that since it first appeared early in 1998. It wasn't actually published until March but a few people obtained pre-publication readers copies. Immediately a flurry of discussion appeared on the "non-focused" online discussion groups (a number of the commentators young readers). Since then, mention of it has consistently resurfaced as other readers have discovered it. I would say that it has become one of the most discussed/debated books of this year -and former years, too. It has not taken long to draw attention both because of its content but perhaps especially because of its format.
Isn't this one of the marks of a "good book," i.e., that it lures readers into thinking and commenting, even though the conclusions various readers reach may differ? If it becomes "infinitely discussable" then it becomes what we call "a classic." Way too early to know that about Megaboy -- but it is at least a "momentary classic" in this sense of the word.
One of the things that has interested me as I've watched the various ways that authors and illustrations write in "nonlinear ways" is how many different ways there are to do this. Making Up Megaboy is one. Whirligig is another. Bat 6 is another. They key ingredient seems to be the interactivity of the reader with the text in constructing the story -- and how the authors carefully structure their work to prompt the reader to engage in this level of involvement. (To me it's a true partnership between writer and reader).
Making Up Megaboy is brilliant, deep, stirring to some. It is confusing and puzzling to others. It is pointless or trite to some and elucidating and profound to others. But it is difficult to find a reader for whom it fails to be provocative -- and from whom it fails to elicit a strong reaction.
Incidentally, I've noticed that although nonlinear texts don't go from
"here to there" in a straight line, most seem, ultimately, still to go from
"here to there" in an overall linear way (or ways, as there are often several choices). That is, are the deviations along the way and the end may not be conclusive, but the overall progression seems linear to me. Do you agree? Is linearity inevitable even when the reader chooses different nonlinear ways to travel from beginning to some kind of end? That is, even though there is seemingly chaos (or choice) along the way there is still order?
Eliza Dresang School of Information Studies Florida State University
Received on Sat 03 Oct 1998 06:24:46 AM CDT
