Re: Metaphor Question (pt. 2)

[Stuart Selber <sselber -at- HUBCAP -dot- CLEMSON -dot- EDU>]

Paul - Uses of metaphor to represent virtual space cetainely fall
within the real of tech comm issues. Seems central to me because
through metaphor we delimit, for better and/or worse, our conceptions
and uses of these spaces. I have a piece coming out in IEEE this June
related to metaphors for hypertext: (non-linear) text, (modular)
nodes, and (associative) links. Metaphors are certainely useful
congnitive tools, relating old knowledge to new. They also have social
implications--under what circumstances do we want to think of
information space as a shopping mall? library? and so on....

Stuart
________________
Stuart A. Selber
Department of English
Clemson University              803-656-1677 (voice)
Strode Tower, Box 341503        803-656-1345 (fax)
Clemson, SC 29634-1503          sselber -at- hubcap -dot- clemson -dot- edu

http://marvin.clemson.edu (MAPC Program/under major construction)
http://www.clemson.edu (Clemson University)


> *Note*  My modem screwed up while sending this the first time, so if i post it
> twice, apologies to all.

> Hello

> I am a doctoral student locked in a linguistics class.  I am doing a paper on
> metaphor, and I chose to do one on metaphor and the net.  I am operating off
> the thesis that metaphor is a way to comprehend the unfathomable by nesting it
> in the known.  Obviously, "the net" is WAY to large to really comprehend.
 What
> metaphors do y'all think we use in dealing with the web?  (Besides, surfing
 the
> net. . .)

> Anyway, I'd  appreciate any input that you could throw my way.  Please send it
> to me so I won't get flamed for cluttering the list with "non-techwriting"
> information.

> Thanks a heap.

> --Paul
> A lone tech writer in a room full of lingustist.  And you say there isn't a
> hell. . . .  8)

> --
> Paul R. Sawyer
> Graduate Assistant/Console Cowboy
> Illinois State University
> Normal, Illinois  61790-4240

> "Have Macintosh.  Will travel."