Celebration for Lying Cotton Review

This Wednesday, we held a small celebration together with another two English classes to celebrate our current achievement for journal Lying Cotton Review. It is a simple but lovely ceremony before the end of this quite busy semester, which is organized well. We had two more professors include my history professor Harrison joined together with us, talked our thoughts and experiences about the process of making this journal, and presented awards to those make great contributes to this journal. The short video made for the ceremony is nice with our journal members’ photos, Jeniffer's short speech, and also beautiful music. Though the most exciting part is the moment to cut and eat that big cake looked like a thick cloud and tasted not bad. I am glad had joined in designing and editing for this journal, it was a new experience and I have learnt some skills from it. Also, all the members involved in creating this journal had worked hard and did a very good job. I hope that the Lying Cotton Review can keep making progress and will be developed better and better in future.

Thoughts on Journal Work

This is almost the last week for this semester. The weather is getting colder and our study is going to the last busiest phase. Till now, for our Journal Lying Cotton Review, my mainly work to design the art section webpage and design posters have been finished generally. I am happy that the website our group designed and continually revised has eventually received good comments when it was displayed in this week’s group presentation. In fact, the process of designing was not so easy, sometimes there were unexpected problems appeared that troubled us, and we need to figure out reasons (sometimes can be just website’s own system problem but it takes long time to figure out) to fix them. The procedures to design and edit by using WordPress was also more complicated than blog and also had limitations with different factors. But anyway, this project is going to be accomplished and everyone involved in had put effort on it. Next week there is going to be a party for the journal and I am expecting it. 

--Dec.12

Infographic -- Design

This is our Design Team Infographic for Journal Presentation：

Discussion about Appropriation of Images

As we have discussed the difference between copy and creation for the appropriation work earlier, if an appropriation is considered as only copying and derivation, then this work must be just simply copy the elements from the original one such as its image, style, or similar ideas; and for the creating, it is necessary to change many things from the original work, not simply the appearance like the image and style, but also create a new meaning which is to subvert its original meaning and has a strong distinction. With this idea which is agreed by most in this class, we looked at the image “Mrs. Richard Yates” which is an original work by Gilbert Stuart. The subject in this painting is a noble madam sitting with an elegant posture. However, her expression is bored, disdainful, and superior, which creates a distance from audience. Then the other image is the appropriated work by Rodney Pike, he used the iconic of Mr. Bean to replace the distant face of Mrs. Richard. This created a striking contrast that Mr. Bean is characterized with humorous and funny, it gave audiences the friendly feeling and relaxing which subverted the original meaning. I think this gives a good example to understand the difference between creation and copying in appropriated work.

Thoughts about Design for Art Section

Our webpage’s design is still changing and tries to make progress that provides a more professional appearance which also matches the theme and topic of the journal. My mainly work for design team is to design and edit the art section webpage and design images like posters. For the design of art section, I think those art works chosen for the journal are really worthy to appreciate. The art section is a particular and part for our journal which contains many great writings, it is an area we can relax and enjoy the beauty of those photographs which came from our real life. It gives quite different feeling when reading this section of the journal, and might inspires the audience when looking at the specific images with some thoughts or emotions from photographers recoded at the bottom of photographs. 

Discussion about Hypertext Essay and Electronic Literature

Discussion about Hypertext Essay and Electronic Literature

The hypertext essay can be usually seen from the internet in today’s network world. It is the essay published in the electronic platforms, and has richer elements and contents combined with the texts. Hypertext essay has the advantages for extending details and information related to the original essay, which provides audiences who have interests to these aspects to understand more specific knowledgeable. However, for readers who just search to learn general information about some specific subjects, the hypertext may causes distractions that make readers misunderstand the main idea or neglect some important information.

The electronic literature as a new literature carrier is popular which can be read with various forms and in different platforms on website. The electronic literature can change version, be updated regularly and revised easily with computer technics, but at the same time, unlike the print literature, it is directed by poster rather than self-directed, and its contents focus more on information than plots. The resource from electronic literature may causes money for its value, and its permanence cannot be guaranteed.

The Benefits and Detriments of Electronic Literature

How is electronic literature different from print literature?

Difference

1. Need electronic reading devices

2. Used many hyperlinks in the website

3. We can revise something even though it has already been published.

4. Used to a lot of digital images to match certain texts; combined with digital arts

5. Used code to make the website such as CSS to change the size of texts.

Benefits:

1.    Easy to preserve

2.    Production cost is low

3.    The transmission is wider

4.    More convenient to revise

5.    Easy to search information

6.    Larger capacity of information storage

Detriments / Limitations

1.    Higher technology requirements

2.    IPR protection

3.    Read Habit

4.    Lower creditability 

Response to Class Question on Monday

It was once thought that electronic literature would be hypertext essays. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

I think it is true that the electronic literature would be hypertext essays, for the reason that the hypertext as a way of connecting pieces of text is frequently used in the electronic platform and is familiar to netizens. To follow the tendency, it is much possible that the electronic literature would be hypertext essays in the website or at least with this feature, so that the audience could find more extended information with the hyperlink created for the electronic literature.

What does electronic literature look like now?

At the present time, the electronic literature is widely accepted and read with the forms of digital texts by some electronic reading devices. It is rapid developing as a new literature carrier, and has the tendency to get equal shares with print literature. But moreover, the electronic literature can also be showed in the website with various forms and richer contents which include not only essays but also visual and audio elements, and its platform is still increasing with technical and its own improvement.

Art Section Design for the Journal

It is the webpage screenshot of art section I involve in editing for the journal Lying Cotton Review. There are more information and detailed elements added into the page after improvement, such as the main sidebar which has hyperlinks to provide easier access for readers to find specific art work with its information, and the page also added the awards and winners part according to the voting results this week.

Ending of Killing Alec

Ending of Killing Alec

When we are thinking, Alec is standing quietly. He looks quite beautiful, almost perfect, shinning in the sun and makes both himself and the surroundings look illusory and unreal. We are still thinking, more deeply and quietly, as if the time is freezing. We actually love this static so that we can enjoy appreciating our pretty Alec in a moment without disturbing.

Well, finally our thinking have a result when Caroline speaks first to break silence. “It is a quite lovely place, I just not really satisfy with the grave for Alec. It does not match him.” We then look around, pick some beautiful flowers and cobblestones to intersperse the grave Alec dug for himself, and decorate it nicely. “It is the time.” We are happy when saying that, there are no regret leaving for both us and Alec. He looks at us, soulful, and Tiffany gives him a drink with pills dissolved in it. “Have a lovely dream, Alec.” He says goodbye with gentle smiles, and lying into the grave.

Things go smoothly and nicely. We drive home with a happy mood, and everything about Alec will then be a lovely memory of every of us.