Melville and word processors: the one with the animated whale gif
Published by Becky S July 26th, 2004 in tech, arts
The August issue of Wired magazine poses an interesting question: Would Moby Dick be better if Melville had used a word processor?
There were three answers from people in the biz. Lynne Truss didn’t make any sense, so she doesn’t count (ok, I’m still pissed about the Eats, Shoots, & Leaves quiz). Says Sam Tanenhaus, editor, The New York Times Book Review:
…[word processors] make life easier for us all, but sometimes I think [they] have helped devalue the written word in the name of bloodless perfectionism.
And Deborah Treisman, fiction editor, The New Yorker:
When it’s so easy to try things out…you’re far more apt to take chances and to hit on an inspired revision. What people have to fight against now is the temptation to get too distracted by email or the internet to focus on the act of writing itself.
Focus—how true. Like so many other “productivity tools,” word possessors come with a multitude of distraction and procrastination possibilities. What if Melville had fallen prey to the Microsoft Word thesaurus?
The whole of discernible things, chap, are but as pasteboard visors
Or pissed away his writing time looking for clipart on the internet? Or succumbed to the lure of the diagram gallery?
Of course with the first sentence, ‘Call me Ishmael’ the helpful Paperclip would pop up and say, ‘It looks like you’re writing a letter!’ and Melville may have called it quits right then and there.
You’re right, Scott. I don’t think Melville would’ve liked a patronizing, animated paperclip bossing him around.
that damn paperclip. I knew it wasn’t my fault that my writing sucks.
If you haven’t seen them, the “” Clippy Gets Fired” Office XP flash animations are still available at Microsoft Taiwan. (Special Guest Voice — Gilbert Gottfried!)
Whoops. Here’s the link again.
Thanks! Almost makes ya feel bad for the guy. Nah.
Gee, I thought the whale was white?
Maybe I better read on…but which version????
They said they fired the paperclip, but he is included in Office 2003. Why would Microsoft lie to us?
In all my life, I have never set eyes upon such a beautiful piece of animated clip-art. My own efforts pale in comparison.
Tintil, I don’t think your relationship with Natasha is working out. Make a clean break and move on.
I tend to believe that word processing enhances creativity. I revised that opening whopper twice whereas an old Selectric would have caused me to write…Word Processing will never establish itself. Incidently the company that championed WP and plated it to the public is no longer with us. Wang. Recall also Wordstar, Word Perfect, etc.