When Genius Strikes

I have spent the day chasing a research topic without finding any type of thesis. I have an abstract due very very soon, which basically means I have to write an essay proposal but pretend I have already written the essay. From a reading I had in my undergrad, I wanted to look at cyber tourism - the use of the internet as a new way to 'travel' and exoticise the 'other.' (Had to pull in some 'rhetorical quotes' there.) It seemed like a good fit since I'm pretty comfortable with post-colonial theory and it would also bring in some of my Mass Communications background in media. However, I was overwhelmed by the number of books written on, if not the exact subject, than something close. Also, I had no decent idea to pursue, just a topic.

Then, of course in the middle of the night, I for some reason start thinking of eBooks and the effect of the digital age on narrative. I would specifically focus on fiction and how content might be changing with the changing medium, as might the reading experience and critical engagement. Obviously, the digital age has had a huge effect on the publishing industry, which has responded with eBooks. This also connects into what I originally used in my proposal for both my Ontario Graduate Scholarship application and my graduate studies admissions. I wanted to look at modernism and some very specific digital mediums of narrative fiction; cell phone novels and web serials.

I needed to open up my laptop and start writing something down because no matter how much I think about it now and even if it is a really great idea, I will probably forget what it was in the morning. I am reminded of the Mitch Hedberg quote; "Sometimes in the middle of the night, I think of something that's funny, then I go get a pen and I write it down. Or if the pen's too far away, I have to convince myself that what I thought of ain't funny." So, here I am writing some quick thoughts down and since I hadn't done a blog post yet today I thought I might as well share them on Always Standing. Final thought: I like the title iLiterature: Effects of the Digital Age on Narrative. This will probably change though.

No worries, I will probably still use the whole cyber tourism thing for a seminar presentation at some point in the year, so that research won't go to waste. (I know you were worried about that.)