Reading from and writing on screens
Reading from and writing on screens

A theory of two literatures

Summary/Abstract: In this paper we look at the subject of reading from and writing on screens, connected to thetheory of two literatures. While reviewing the contemporary internationally wide-spanningand well received works on the history of literature, questions arise: why is the discussion onelectronic literature not strongly represented yet, and why is the issue of reading from thescreen only mentioned cursorily? In our opinion, the answer is to be found in the fact thatthere are two literatures currently in existence. We set out to prove this theory.In order to specify the theory of two literatures, in this article we (1) briefly cover the twotsunamis of hypertext reception and (2) deal with the notion of hypertext. To follow, (3) webring typical examples of hypertext literature, all in order to better approach the issue of (4)reading from and (5) writing on screens. Then we take a brief look (6) at the theory of the iconicturn, in order to show how it can be applied to describe new media literature. The theoreticalsection is closed with (7) the introduction of a new, reader/writer function and attitude.Finally, (8) we present findings of a study conducted on reading from a screen, comparing theresults to a previous survey. The article ends (9) with our conclusion.

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