Blogs have become a fast growing and influential medium of high cultural and social importance. Different kinds of texts are spread throughout the internet and become accessible for all cultural and ethnic groups.
Since most blogs feature a comment section discussion about meaning becomes possible. As a result, readers are able to communicate directly with the author and discuss the content with him or
her as well as among each other.
One social group in particular that is getting more and more involved with this new medium are inmates in the United States. As they begin to explore and use blogging for expressing thoughts and ideas, it becomes increasingly evident that this is clearly not an invention of the digital age but rather a literary tradition that is revived and continued by blogging inmates.
In my thesis, I will show how these prison blogs have revived prison literature by “techno-social” means (Raffl, Hofkirchner, Fuchs, Schafranek The Web as Techno-Social System: The Emergence of Web 3.0) that allow a direct exchange between reader and author.
I will also show how certain themes of prison literature are taken up by prison blogs and, at the same time, transferred or adapted to this digital medium by doing close readings and literary analyses.
In the end, I will have substantiated my claim by pointing out parallels in themes and approaches as well as mechanisms of influence and social interaction that all together made for a cross-media revival of prison literature.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Prison Literature
- 1960s - 1980s
- Social Interaction
- Themes and Patterns
- Reminiscence, Trauma and Identity
- Reading, Writing and Identity
- Prison Blogs
- Techno-social character
- Expectations
- Q&A
- Process and Immediacy
- The Act of Writing
- The Perception of Time
- Techno-social character
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis analyzes the revival of prison literature in the United States through the medium of prison blogs. It examines how these blogs, characterized by their techno-social nature, have facilitated direct communication between inmates and readers, reviving themes and approaches present in traditional prison literature. The study aims to demonstrate how this cross-media revival is driven by the interactive possibilities of blogging, fostering dialogue and shaping the perception of prison literature in the 21st century.
- The influence of blogging on prison literature
- The role of techno-social systems in reviving literary traditions
- Themes and patterns in prison literature and their adaptation to prison blogs
- The communicative potential of prison blogs and their impact on reader perception
- The evolution of literary expression in the digital age
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: The chapter introduces the concept of prison literature and its evolution in the context of changing social and technological landscapes. It highlights the limitations of traditional literary mediums in fostering communication between author and audience, emphasizing the potential of blogs as a medium capable of bridging this gap.
- Prison Literature: This chapter explores the historical development of prison literature in the United States, particularly from the 1960s to the 1980s. It examines the themes and patterns that characterize this genre, including reminiscence, trauma, and identity, and how these themes are explored through the act of reading and writing within the prison environment.
- Prison Blogs: This chapter delves into the techno-social characteristics of prison blogs, exploring their ability to facilitate direct communication between inmates and readers. It analyzes the immediate nature of this communication, highlighting the impact of the act of writing and the perception of time on the content of prison blogs.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Prison literature, prison blogs, techno-social systems, Web 2.0, communication, reader perception, themes, patterns, reminiscence, trauma, identity, reading, writing, immediacy, direct communication, cross-media revival.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Sebastian Matkey (Autor:in), 2010, Blogging Behind Bars, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/168030
