Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace (Paperback)

by James J. O'Donnell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Avatars of the Word comments on the intersection of the history of written word and the explosion of cyberspace. Crafted with a meandering, laconic style, James O'Donnell wittily juxtaposes the modern and ancient.

Take, for example, the concept of the "virtual library." "The dream of the virtual library comes forward now not because it promises an exciting future," O'Donnell writes, "but because it promises a future that will be just like the past only faster and better." As children, many of us were raised with the sanctity of the library--the quietness, the beauty, the celebration of language, and the idea that this institution provides complete access to the "scarce resource" of information.

O'Donnell demonstrates that a future repository for knowledge cannot be based on the model of the "codex" (the first recognizable form for the traditional published book). Instead, we will be in a community where information is decentralized, no longer dependent on a finite circle of publishers. The importance of this shift can't be understated: countries base economics on centralized institutions, and--just as importantly--these places have psychological sway within us as keepers of our common humanity.

Unlike other authors who want to comment on the influence of the World Wide Web, O'Donnell--a professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania--has a sound foundation with which to validate his theories. He grounds his assertions in the writings of philosophers from Sophocles to Derrida. Proposing his ideas with light humor and elegance, O'Donnell releases recent technological developments from their current clichéd context. --Jennifer Buckendorff --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
...stimulating and well-written ... lucid, informative, and engrossing. -- The Boston Globe, Robert Taylor

Much of what makes this book useful as a guide to the future is the way in which O'Donnell challenges us to reconsider the past. -- Wired, Peter Myers --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (May 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067400194X
• ISBN-13: 978-0674001947
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,939 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting ideas in a mixed-up presentation, April 24, 2001

By	Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are without a doubt some brilliant ideas in this book. However, reading the book is a bit like mining for precious ore, you have to go through a lot of uninteresting rocks to get to the good stuff.

It would appear that the author had some serious ideas he wanted to publish and chose book format as conventional and lucrative. However, the book is a mish-mash of ideas that don't necessarily string together to form anything like a cohesive argument or narrative. While this non-linear presentation works well in cyberspace, it is a frustrating thing to deal with in book format.

It is heartening that a classics professor would tackle a subject like the change from print to electronic technology. His comparisons between the coming of the Internet and the rise of the codex in late antiquity are interesting. He clearly "gets" the Internet and doesn't consider it the big bad book-slayer.

The author sprinkles in some of his theories on education, particularly post-secondary. He poses interesting questions but provides no answers to those questions about the purpose of post-secondary education in the modern world.

Some of the ideas presented were compelling, the style of the book was difficult to handle, and his final comparisons between himself and Cassiodorus were a bit much. I could only give it two stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Avatars" disseminates the configuration of ancient texts., April 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace (Hardcover)

O'Donnell tries heroically to conflate the printed word and the hypertext of the present world. By feeding on the ancients for Latin and Greek sources, the author relates classical writings with those of the sacred scriptures. Aristotle meets Saul; Paul kibitzes with Cassiodorus.

O'Donnell himself is not sure where all this will end; it's too early in the first-half to hedge our bets, to see how far cyberspace (the "ether" as explanation for everything in the universe of nineteenth century Western thought; now monicled, "hypertext) will impact (that fatuous term of evaluations) the written or printed text. In truth, O'Donnell in spite of his Catholic, and catholic, reading of Aquinas, Aristotle, Horace, Juvenal, Apuleius, has no solid solution to the contexts: speech, memory, printed work, software; he's in a quandary, and apparently enjoying the fuzziness of the discussion. But nevertheless underlines the necessary undertaking of this word--hypertext forum.

This is an important book; get it; borrow it; read it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a terrific book., April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace (Hardcover)

Avatars is about the connection between the history of the written word and the upcoming of the increase in Internet technology and cyberspace. The book explains how the written word is being challenged by cyberspace and what cyberspace may look like in the future. O'Donnell is a very witty writer, who keeps the attention of the reader. Writing about the Internet can get tedious, but O'Donnell keeps an interesting style of writing for the reader.