Literature Sites
A Celebration of Women Writers
Here you have a bare-bones list of Women writers. The only prerequisite for being listed is to be a woman and a writer, which doesn't mean that all the greats are listed, nor that all those listed are great. As a matter of fact, there are glaring omissions. The celebration is ongoing and requires your participation. Provide the busy, newlywed webmasters links to electronic texts by, and about, your favorite women writers. Their list is enormous, of course, and branching out every day.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Ananda Nada
A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
So you want to talk like a roscoe-toting flatfoot with a beezer full of tiger's milk? Well check into the Hardboiled Slang Glossary and in no time you'll be ready to chin down with hard goons and wise-headed shamuses. Culled from the classics of hardboiled detective fiction (works by Hammett, Spillane, Chandler and others), this lead-thrower's lexicon is a good read itself. No fancy graphics, no special search engines, just phrase/definition, phrase/definition, phrase/definition. Like any square joe, this glossary cuts right to the chase and leaves the song and dance to flimflammers and wrong numbers.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: MCM
American Literature
This is a survey course in American Literature, digitally preserved, complete with student papers and class discussions. I'd bet the compositions have been plagiarized by now - poached by unscrupulous college kids. As for the discussions, they're full of chat room-style interference and non sequiturs (Teacher: Helen, I liked your comment about Hester Prynne as feminist martyr, but I wonder if Hawthorne would have seen it that way? Butthead: This sucks, Beavis. Beavis: Yeah, he he.) Good for a laugh, maybe, but not much else. Butthead's right.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
Anne Rice Home Page
It has been a slow week. I've met two people who believed themselves to be vampires, and only one person claiming to be a werewolf. The phenomena is tapering off; isn't it time Anne Rice came out with a new novel to stoke the flames? This is another Rice page: vampires, mummies, spooky undead, and so forth. A few of her books are profiled and there are the ever-present related links. There is no reason to visit this page, a damning indictment indeed for a space built by a self-described web programmer and HTML designer.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Anne Rice and The Memnoch Ball
I find few things more upsetting than crystal-rubbing sprites spouting off about the coming Millennial shift. Come to think of it, only vampire wannabes annoy me more, and we have Anne Rice to blame for the gothic revival we're witnessing. There is an enormous amount of Rice-related paraphernalia online, and heaps of it can be reached from this site. Images, related links, instructions on making custom fangs - you'll find it all here. Spooky types will love this site; pay particular attention to the transcript of Anne Rice's answering machine greeting.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Bill Gates The Road Ahead
Assume Bill Gates owns half of everything worth owning. If every second he purchased half of everything he *doesn't* already own, how long will it be until we're all working for Microsoft? This is a fine looking site put together by top-notch Web artists. But tell me: Is there really a need for an entire site devoted to *The Road Ahead*, Bill's book? And even if the book merits a site, does it really deserve its own domain name? This is one of the greatest privileges of wealth: People think you actually have something worth saying.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Blue Penny Quarterly
This handsome page is a great place to start looking for that elusive literary element on the Internet. Unlike other literary magazines, Blue Penny Quarterly was not spawned by a hard copy magazine, and it's dedication to new media is evident: they not only present hypertext fiction and poetry, but run a literary discussion group at the Blue Kafc site. They also solicit submissions from anyone and everyone. BPQ is also planning a more high-tech poetry journal called New River. And while they exploit the current technology, BPQ remains respectful of good old fashioned writing and storytelling. This is one to bookmark.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Book Lovers Fine Books and Literature
A basic, but comprehensive set of links for the antiquarian book dealer, book collector, avid reader, et al., this site should be bookmarked by all those serious about their literature, arcane or otherwise. Assembled by a bibliophile from the Netherlands, it points to sites in both English and Dutch. As with browsing the shelves at your favorite bookstore, you are likely to while away hours and hours here in that peculiar dream state with the contemplation of all the books you'll never find time to read -- not if you live two hundred years. A splendid, if melancholy, pastime, that.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
Cyber Seuss
Chances are sometime around the age of four or five, you begged your mom for a heaping plate of green eggs and ham. You had no idea what turned the eggs green, and you weren't too hip to the concept of pork products, but you wanted your green eggs and ham, gosh-darned it, because one Mr. Sam I Am didn't want his, and you knew he was missing out on some fancy eats. So your mom fried up some ham, and threw some spinach into some scrambled eggs, and served them to you on an enchanted platter. And then your mom tried food coloring in the eggs after your spinach sensors went off, and you ran screaming from the breakfast table like a child possessed. The object lesson behind *Green Eggs and Ham* is just one of many espoused by Ted Geisel, or Dr. Seuss. Geisel died in 1991 at the age of 87, but his rhyming morality tales continue to steady the character of international youth. Geisel won a Pulitzer prize in 1984, and his 47 books are published in 18 languages. The entire Seussian phenomenon can be found at Cyber-Seuss, a site that offers hoospiferic helpings of Seuphonius triptitude. The site's main draw is its 15 online story books. You'll find standards like *How the Grinch Stole Christmas* and *Yertle the Turtle*, as well as more obscure tales like *The King's Stilts* and *Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose*. After you envelope yourself in nonsense words and delightful rhyming schemes, you can skip on over to obscure curios like Seuss-oriented ASCII art; a contest asking you to choose your favorite among The Grinch, his indefatigable doggie Max, and little Cindy Loo Who; and a sound file of the Grinch theme song ("You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,"). From here, the site investigates the type of minutiae one might only find on the Internet. In 1972, pundit Art Buchwald borrowed from Geisel the following sentiment: "Richard M. Nixon, will you please go now! The time has come. The time is now. Just go. Go. Go! I don't care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Richard M. Nixon, will you please go now!" Indeed, Geisel was a man of moral and political conviction. Both children and adults will find much to learn from this endearing, whimsical and burgeoning Web site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Jon Phillips
Cyber Seuss
Chances are, sometime around age four or five, you begged your mom for a heaping plate of green eggs and ham. You had no idea what turned the eggs green, and you weren't too hip to the concept of pork products, but you wanted your green eggs and ham, gosh-darned it, because one Mr. Sam I Am didn't want his, and you knew he was missing out on some fancy eats. So your mom fried up some ham, and threw some spinach into some scrambled eggs, and served them to you on an enchanted platter. And then your mom tried food coloring in the eggs after your spinach sensors went off, and you ran screaming from the breakfast table. The object lesson behind *Green Eggs and Ham* is just one of many espoused by the late Ted Geisel, Dr. Seuss. Geisel died in 1991 at the age of 87, but his rhyming morality tales continue to influence kids worldwide. Geisel won a Pulitzer prize in 1984, and his 47 books are published in 18 languages. The entire Seussian phenomenon can be found at Cyber-Seuss, a site that offers hoospiferic helpings of Seuphonius triptitude. The site's main draw is its 15 online story books. You'll find standards like *How the Grinch Stole Christmas* and *Yertle the Turtle*, as well as more obscure tales like *The King's Stilts* and *Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose*. After you envelope yourself in nonsense words and delightful rhyming schemes, you can skip on over to obscure curios like Seuss-oriented ASCII art; a contest asking you to choose your favorite among The Grinch, his indefatigable doggie Max, and little Cindy Loo Who. There's also a sound file of the Grinch theme song ("You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,"). The site deals in the type of minutiae one finds only on the Internet; to wit, in 1972, pundit Art Buchwald borrowed from Geisel the following sentiment: "Richard M. Nixon, will you please go now! The time has come. The time is now. Just go. Go. Go! I don't care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Richard M. Nixon, will you please go now!" Indeed, Geisel was a man of moral and political conviction. Both children and adults will find much to learn from this endearing, whimsical and burgeoning Web site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Jon Phillips
Don Delillo Web Site
Sorry, but this site is dead. There is too much gray matter. The web site gives an unenthusiastic list of Don Delillo's fictional works, critiques, and links to other Delillo sites. Unfortunately, something as basic as a biography is missing. The research team at the University of British Columbia's English department could do a much better job.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Edgar Allan Poe's House of Usher
If you're not familiar with the work of Edgar Allan Poe, you must immediately acquaint yourself with it. Poe fans will greet this Web space with joy; it's a fine example of what a fan site should be: the complete works of Poe, biographies, filmographies(!), discographies(!!), and more. Well-organized, cleverly presented, engaging - I can find nothing to complain about here. A great deal of time was obviously spent putting these pages together, and I encourage everyone to pay a visit, if only to view the Web at its best.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Electronic Beowulf Project
The original manuscript for Beowulf, the English masterpiece starring Grendel the monster, was badly damaged in a fire 200 years ago. Taking the remains out of its display case in the British Library for scholarly study is obviously not the best idea. But in a hint at the future of the library, we are given the Electronic Beowulf Project, focused on scanning and analyzing the parchment to create a complete digital version of the document for study. With tons of related research and articles being added constantly, the Electronic Beowulf Project is an example of electronic media's power to archive artifacts from the pre-digital era of the written word.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: David Pescovitz
Ever the Twain Shall Meet
This home-brewed site gives you the full text of *The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*, *The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson* and *What is Man and Other Essays*, with each chapter on its own HTML page for easy browsing. It also provides links to other Twain-centered sites and downloadable zip files of a number of Twain's works. There's no analysis, biography or discussion, but if you have a sudden urge to hang with Huck and Jim, you can do so immediately right here.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: MCM
Exquisite Corpse
Graphics at EC are so boring that you're forced to seek diversion in the texts. Thankfully, they're worth reading. From editor Andrei Codrescu's giddy farewell to Timothy Leary to Bob Black's insightful critique of *The End of Work*, EC's site delivers consistently fresh, well-wrought essay and fiction. The editorial focus on self-actualizing volition is commendable, no doubt. Intrigued readers might appreciate some context regarding the relationship of this site to its papery original, or to the surrealist parlor game for which it's named. Presently, however, these pages simply reflect a bland ambition to use the Web to win subscriptions.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Ananda Nada
Gabriel Garcia Marquez-Macondo
In 1982, Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for literature. A native of Colombia, he now lives in Mexico City and is considered a pioneer of style known as "magical realism." The site provides background information on the history of Colombia and examines how that history has influenced Marquez's fiction. It also includes notes on Marquez, a bibliography of his works, Marquez-related images and links to other Marquez Web sites.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Granta
This site is a dull advertisment for *Granta*, the magazine that brought you the likes of Amis, Rushdie and Ishiguro. You can read one essay from the current issue and browse the TOC's of past editions. But that's all. Then you're prompted to enter your credit card number for a subscription, which just goes to show how clueless they are. When I visited the site, it featured a press release for *Granta*'s forthcoming issue, one devoted to America's best young novelists, but which overlooks Richard Powers. Which simply underlines my previous point... A wasted opportunity.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Ananda Nada
Haiku for People
You'll find answers to various haiku-related questions, and plenty of haikus by famous and not-so-famous poets. Nothing more. But that's OK. The poems are wonderful (for haiku aficionados, at least) and the How and What sections are informative, and should be useful for would-be haiku writers. The site is simple and to-the-point, accomplishing its intended goals. I like that.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Shel Kimen
Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now
Heart of Darkness is one of the most dense and murky short stories ever written, and Coppola's Apocalypse Now is a marvelous film adaptation of the work. A trip down a river becomes a metaphor for a journey to the darkest places in the human soul, an exploration of those fragile structures upon which civilization is constructed. This site offers the entire text of Heart of Darkness, searchable by keyword. In addition, there is a link to one of the most complete Apocalypse Now fan sites. All Conrad fans should visit this site at least once, if only to grab the e-text of the story.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Internet Poetry Archive
The tendency, sometimes, is to judge a site based on what it could be, on what it promises to become. The Internet Poetry Archive is just such a spot. It has much potential to be a great source of information for all students of the written word. At the moment three poets are highlighted, including Nobel prize-winner Czelaw Milosz. What makes the IPA different from other sites is its open embrace of all the technology available. Listen to the poems in their original language and in translation, read a biography of each artist prepared by a literary scholar, hear what the poet has to say about the meaning of each piece. Graphics, when appropriate, are used to illuminate the subtle meanings of complex works, and short bibliographies encourage deeper study. The IPA promises to expand its database, and upgrade its tech to include video. Though still under construction, it promises to be great.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Into the Wardrobe The C S Lewis WWW Page
For all the folks who cut their teeth on the Narnia Chronicles and just can't get enough of C.S. Lewis's quasi-Christian fantasy lit, here it is: a site devoted to the Master. There's a daily Lewis quote -- updated religiously at 12 AM GMT -- plus downloadable images of Lewis, sound clips of Lewis, and well,...Lewis, Lewis, Lewis, everywhere you look. To paraphrase the creator of the site, this isn't just a place for fans, but a repository for all C.S. Lewis scholarship and marginalia. No surprise then that I was able to quickly satisfy my only curiousity; the "C.S." is for Clive Staples, nickname, Jack.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Patrick Joseph
John Keats 1795 1821
This site is served by Portico, the British Library's Online Information Server. One might expect it to be a vast clearinghouse of Keats-related information. If these were your expectations, you would be mistaken. Visitors will find a brief biography of the poet, a few digitized images of early manuscripts, and little else. The available material is well-presented, but a Keats researcher will be disappointed by the paltry selection. The especially troubled might enjoy the audio file of Sally Brown's reading of "When I have fears that I may cease to be."
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Keats John 1884 Poetical Works
My favorite poem is "The Second Coming." Oh, wait; that's Yeats. This site is a component of the Project Bartleby work at Columbia University, which is making selected texts available on the Web. Keats' collected poems are here, especially-troublesome terms are annotated via hyperlink, and a first line index is provided. A no-frills design makes it easy to find that beloved poem in ready-to-cut-and-paste format. Project Bartleby is a must-have bookmark for any reader. I cannot praise its efforts enough; only through such work will we reach our goal: all the world's literature available online.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
LIVING POETS EJournal Home Page
This site introduces itself as "The home of Powerful New Poetry," and a manifesto is offered for your reading pleasure. I hate pompous overstatement, and I believe that manifestos and art are incompatible, so I must admit to an initial negative reaction. A slick interface - much more attractive than most e-zines - gives access to well over 100K of poems. Most of them are awful, of course, but I came across a few that really work. The site looks good, and there's a large body of work to examine. I suppose I can forgive them their excesses.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Literary HyperCalendar
December 12, 1889: Robert Browning dies in Venice. January 4, 1960: Albert Camus dies in a car crash. See the connection? Perhaps this site will help. Here we have a hyperlinked literary calendar with a few pieces of literati trivia for each calendar day. This site reminds me of those kooky-themed desktop calendars that were so popular a few years back: a wacky Winston Churchill anecdote for each day of the year. And so forth. The site creator appears quite interested in user feedback; always a good sign. As more bits of trivia augment the database, the site will grow more interesting.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Literary Kicks
Levi Asher, young father of three quit his day job as a C++ programmer on Wall Street and built a web site. Not just any Web site, Literary Kicks is a big, sprawling hypertext biography of The Beat Generation. A tight-knit literary movement after the fashion of The Lost Generation in Paris, The Beats have inspired readers ever since Jack Kerouac published his cross-country reverie, *On the Road* in 1957. For Levi Asher, miserable in the drudgery of his suit-and-tie position at J.P. Morgan, the siren song of The Beats was just too strong to resist. What is excellent about Literary Kicks and sets it apart from the hordes of online devotionals, is the extent of original material, most links referencing other points within the narrative rather than outside sites of dubious quality. To my mind, the popular mechanism of hyperlinks and cross-references is too often a dud; uneven and disruptive, as dismaying as it is edifying. It's put to good use here, however; the impulsive, non-linear quality of the navigation befitting the subject, the consistent voice keeping it fluid. Whatever thread you choose to follow, it's a bit like floating a different fork of the same river. Asher's reverence for his subject is apparent throughout his site. He has doubtless invested a lot of time (and a lot of himself) in the project, researching and writing about all the personalities in the beat milieu, as well as the cultural influences which helped shape them. Thankfully, though, his fanaticism is balanced with a healthy measure of criticism. Without being cynical about it, he acknowledges his idols' obvious faults, as husbands, as lovers, as fathers. One of the more interesting segments of the project, in fact, is his interview with John Cassady, the son of countercultural hero/paragon, Neal Cassady. Asher is a writer himself. You'll find his own fiction at . Called *The Queensboro Ballads*, it's an "experimental novel in the form of a folk rock album." I admit I didn't get too far along the A-side of the experiment, but one thing was apparent from the outset: This is autobiography beneath a thin veneer of fiction, ala Sal Paradise, a.k.a. Jack Deluoz, a.k.a. Jack Kerouac. It's a decent effort, the prose competent but a little flat. The real attraction is Literary Kicks. Whether you've dabbled in Beat literature, read everything from A to Z, or are looking for a good introduction, the site is a wonderful experience, and one of the few sites I can think of that remains fresh even after return visits.
Content: NULL
Aesthetic: NULL
TechnoSmart: NULL
Author: Patrick Joseph
NWHQ
You have to be a little wary of anything that describes itself as being "constructed somewhat like a labyrinth," but my brief foray into this "web-journal of hypertexted literature" was not so unrewarding as I expected it to be. In fact, most of the writing I encountered was actually pretty good, adventurous with the language and suited ( pace- and lengthwise) to the medium; maybe a little long on angst and short on inspiration, but good nonetheless. And the visuals weren't half bad either. And in the end, it's not even all that labyrinthine -- navigation back home is easy -- just a good read.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
Nevery-na
I am sick and tired of pretentious book-snobs maligning the integrity of the science-fiction and fantasy genre. I hate loud-mouthed know-it-alls who consider Proust the standard by which all text should be judged. This is a Samuel Delany fan page, featuring the requisite bibliography and critical pieces. Though there is nothing particularly striking about the layout or content of the site, the page creator seems articulate, a rare quality among fan site maintainers. Maybe there is cause to hope the Web may someday improve in quality.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Poets in Person
Somehow, this site evokes the ambience of a tacky suburban bus station. Focusing on the bland black and white photos of the poets doesn't help matters either. Having said that, the actual poetic content here is limited to audio files accompanied by insignificant biographical blurbs. Talents like Rita Dove, James Merrill and Sharon Olds deserve better representation. Background and text colors should be changed, the photos should be reformatted and the blinking phrases should be tossed immediately. Oh, ... and poetry should be added if at all possible.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Ananda Nada
Proust Said That
Proust Said That may be the most radical project on the Web, devoted as it is to inspiring interest in a *Remembrance of Things Past*. The Marcel Proust Support Group is a boho San Francisco clan that formed to read the work in toto. P. Segal's loving documentation of their activities has made PST one of the most affecting literary sites around. Its elegant pages contain everything from Proust-inspired recipes and travelogues to the young Marcel's replies to the questionnaire that bears his name today. If you love Proust, you will adore these pages.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Ananda Nada
Rats To Cats
The Rats to Cats site Is an HTML Stack made by people Who think that cats smell Each page is a quatrain Of cruel denigration Insulting the honor Of the feline persuasion They don't like cat hygiene They don't like cat habits They find cats lethargic 'Cept when breeding like rabbits They claim cats are sneaky And evil and selfish That they'd gladly trade friendship For a mouthful of shellfish Each verse is portrayed By a well-rendered sketch To thoroughly illustrate The anti-cat kvetch This site will quite surely Drive cat lovers batty It's cute and amusing But a little bit catty.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: MCM
Remote
Remote is the electronic emissary for David Shields' novel of the same name (Random House, 1996). Like the book, the site is a collage of lists, essays, letters and other texts that reflect upon the disassociating nature of our hyped-up, high-speed, data-driven electronic society. The byproduct of this megamedia blitz is an ailment Shields calls "information sickness." At the site, you can share your dreams of Kurt Cobain, compose a bumper sticker, sample passages from the book, or review Shields' extensive literary resume. Dawdle in the data too long, however, and you might wind up with a bit of info sickness yourself.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: MCM
SOMA-web
Matthew, the site's manager, makes one mistake in his web site on English novelist Aldous Huxley (1894-1963): He reverses the print, making the background color black and most of the text white. Unfortunately, when the information is sent to the printer, the machine interprets everything as white, thereby making the print invisible. Nevertheless, Matthew provides an entertaining look at the novelist best known for Brave New World, the 1932 satirical work about a society controlled by technology. Also, it contains a hypnotic photo of Huxley and links to other Huxley-related sites.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Scrivenery Literary Awards
Here's one for English Lit. majors and prospective Jeopardy contestants. The Literary Awards section is part of Scrivenery's larger web site, which offers resources for fiction writers. The awards' site lists the winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Awards for Fiction, The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Booker Prize. Answer: He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1965. Question: Who is Michail A. Sholokhov, Alex?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Seamus Heaney
This site has all the simplicity of Heaney's poetry. A single photo of the smiling Nobel Laureate presides over a table of links. These lead you to poems spanning his entire career from book one to his most recent, *Seeing Things*. Each poem is complimented by a downloadable audio file of Heaney reading it in his resonant brogue. Another page provides an ample biographical sketch along with thoughtful annotations to the archive. The inclusion of the commencement speech Heaney delivered last year at UNC provides an alternative glimpse at the poet's wisdom.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada
Shakespeare Illustrated
I must admit that I began composing this review as soon as I saw the site's title. "How nice," I thought, "Shakespeare's plays...with pretty pictures." It turns out the site is nothing of the sort. Instead, what one finds are digitized images of paintings related to the various plays. The images look good; care was taken in their translation. Most definitely a work in progress, we can hope that time will nurture a growing collection of images to be browsed. Both art types and Shakespeare fans would enjoy this site, yet still rue its small size.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Shelley Percy Bysshe 1901 Complete Poetical Works
The Romantic poets seem a bit unseemly to the jaded youth of today. Passion? A burning obsession to draw forth the secrets at the heart of being? No thanks; the opening band is just about to take the stage. This site is another element of the Project Bartleby efforts to put classic literature online. Not all of Shelley's works are in place yet, but a few of the major texts and plays are already available. If you need a Shelley fix in electronic format, it just might be here. Those researching the man should go elsewhere.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Simon Says
Simon Says is Simon and Schuster's slick new home on the net. Designed by Razorfish, this site has a sleek, modern look, and is easy to navigate, with spiffy technological touches (real audio, multimedia product demos, rotating billboards). The focus of the site is on the reader, though, with lots of opportunities for interactivity. Reader reviews, bulletin board and chats are all features that try to attract repeat visitors. Of special note are the Reading Groups, monthly discussions on general subjects led by experienced facilitators. Design and content touches like these elevate this site from the merely corporate to a lively hub for book lovers.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Rachel Saidman
Steinbeck
Steinbeck's popularity among high school English teachers is only to his misfortune. There are too few instructors capable of placing Steinbeck's work within an historical context, and unfortunately, this site will do little to assist the individual trying to decipher Steinbeck and his catalog. Visitors find a bibliography, a timeline of his life, photos of the houses Steinbeck stayed in, and a few images of the landscapes in which the stories were set. Those researching Steinbeck's taste in dwelling places will enjoy this site; others should do a net search.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Steinbeck
Steinbeck's popularity among high school English teachers is only to his misfortune. There are too few instructors capable of placing Steinbeck's work within an historical context, and unfortunately, this site will do little to assist the individual trying to decipher Steinbeck and his catalog. Visitors find a bibliography, a timeline of his life, photos of the houses Steinbeck stayed in, and a few images of the landscapes in which the stories were set. Those researching Steinbeck's taste in dwelling places will enjoy this site; others should do a net search.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
THOMAS WOLFE WEB PAGE
Aside from a photographic tour (be prepared to wait) of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial -- the "Old Kentucky Home" in Asheville, N.C. -- there are no real surprises here. The biographical and critical information on Wolfe is brief but well-presented, as are the few choice quotes culled from the writer's work. The bibliography is just a skeleton -- just titles, no synopses or further links. Devotees may want to jump on the Thomas Wolfe Commemorative Stamp Campaign (oh boy) and stay up on the annual Thomas Wolfe Festival (wow), but for most visitors, this site will be a one-time fly-by.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
The Beat Generation
As a documentary site, it's fine - other than a few presumptuous declarations like "Walt Whitman, The Original Beat," or, in reference to Columbia University, "This grand old Ivy League university may not even want to be the birthplace of the Beat Generation." (Come on, Columbia is as liberal as Ivy gets). This aside, the pages offer biographies and pictures of Beat heroes, presenting an informed and sensible historical perspective. It's slightly dry, which is unfortunate, as it unravels such creative writers.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Shel Kimen
The Blake Multimedia Project
The contention of Professor Steven Marx is that the work of Blake can't be properly understood from his texts. The originals were all done as illuminated manuscripts with calligraphy that would make any modern graphic designer envious. Professor Marx has designed a hypercard stack with reproductions of the original pages and annotations. This site gives just a taste of the stack, and directions on how to get a hold of it. Of course, this will be limited to Macintosh users.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Book review Quicklist
A collection of brief book reviews, the Quicklist gives you a chance to add your own criticism or respond to what's already there. As the great majority of the reviews are unfailingly positive (people plugging their favorites) and others are misinformed, this is probably not the best place to get ideas about what to read next. Some may find it refreshing to read what other dilettantes think, but I suspect the real appeal will be for those who can't wait to recommend their favorite read to anyone who will listen.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Patrick Joseph
The Complete Shakespeare
The plays and the poems are all here, unadorned and well-organized. Their conversion to html is thorough. Footnotes, for instance, are replaced by links to a glossary. In addition to the works, there's an effective bulletin board system (Hypernews) which gives devotees a forum in which to query each other. The current debate regarding "the Authority question" is especially lively. There's even a link to Bartlett's familiar Shakespearean quotations. Even though the search engine and the glossary could use some work, these pages remain an essential resource on the Web.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada
The Complete Shawian
I was excited by the prospect of a Shaw home page. "Wow," I thought, "the old crank online!" As I quickly discovered, there are Shaw repositories out there, but this is not one of them. This Web space is devoted to its creator's scholarly analysis of Shaw. A few essays and a Master's thesis are present, as is a novel by the page owner. Those interested in critical readings of G.B. Shaw might take an interest in this site; those wanting the undistilled spirit should try a Web search.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
The Consummate Hitchhiker's Guide
Here you'll find extensive information on Douglas Adams and the ever-growing Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe cybercult. This is quite a database of related resources. But be warned, young travelers, the collection is merely a stockpile of hyperlinks, most of which flash the yellow "new" starburst logo; no original content here. Links are poorly organized, and the layout is distasteful. But it's still a comprehensive list for those who want to skip the likes of Yahoo and Lycos.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Shel Kimen
The Infinite Goof
It is a curious phenomena: nearly every existentially-aware, self-reflective female I know adores Tom Robbins. And few, if any, of the similarly-enlightened males I know can stand him. This is a Tom Robbins fan site, but is in no way a typical fan page. Of course there is a bibliography, critical essays, interviews, and related links -- but that's just the beginning. This is a fan site with JAVA objects, and a VRML version too! At last, an adoring fan space that is entertaining AND fawning. Bonus points for not using frames! I hope my exclamatory prose conveys my delight with this site!
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Steve Szyszko
The Internet Poetry Archive
This very well-constructed and tastefully designed site features the work of living poets. Living poets are a rare breed, and should probably be on the endangered species list. I'm sure this is why the site only had three of them (when I visited). Besides the sheer novelty of discovering living poets, visitors to the site can sample audio clips of the poets reading their poems. Somebody realized poetry is meant to come in through the ear, and not the eye. Will wonders never cease?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Milton-L Home Page
How many lives have been ruined by "Paradise Lost"? How many otherwise educated people have lowered their heads in shame, forced to confess that they were bored to tears by this poem? Those individuals who do find pleasure in Milton will delight in this site. Links are provided to Milton's prose and poetry, info on the Milton listserv is available, and scholarly articles are online for perusal. The site aims to be - and is - a comprehensive resource for the wide-eyed believer seeking Milton news on the net. Only the lack of centerfold GIFs might disappoint the Milton fan.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
The Next Savage State
The Next Savage State makes much of its claims of irreverence, anarchy, and total disinterest in the petty sensibilities of the conformist majority; but forget all that, it's just a showcase for great writers. I can say simply that everything I read here was top-notch, funny, and insightful. Andrei Codrescu (of NPR fame) now holds the record for the single longest piece I've ever read off a computer screen. Order a years worth of hard copies for $30. Or read it here for free. Enjoy.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The PIXPage
The PIXPage is the online extension of San Francisco's KPIX Television and Radio stations. Its remote control image-map points to the latest Bay Area news, traffic and weather reports. There's also a searchable index of the Eyewitness News archives and a page that loads continuously updated photos from a studio camera that pans the skyline from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge. For those interested in Bay Area jobs, PIXPage also sponsors JobSmart, an online employment service for Northern California. All said, this site is a multi-linked, well-designed gateway to mainstream San Francisco news and then some.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Ananda Nada
The Papa Page
Another shrine to old Hem, another devotional on the web. I'm cool to this one without knowing exactly why. Content-wise it seems rich enough, with links to other resources. The interface is clean, simple, and straightforward -- like Ernie's prose. Good enough. Still, something seems to be lacking. The biography is pretty sparse, for one thing. And the images are generally the ones you've seen a hundred times; the man is an icon, after all. And maybe that's my problem with it; all the attention Hemingway gets just seems to further the self-promoting and self-mythologizing agenda he himself had. So why bother?
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
The Papa Page
Hemingway was a one-trick pony who drank away what little talent he did possess, but that isn't reason enough to dislike this page. No, the client-pull embedded in the opening page inspired my ire. It annoys me when my client requests a document without my permission; call me a control freak, but I prefer to make these decisions. A short biography, a bibliography, a variety of related links including one to Real Audio files of the Old Man himself, this is a typical fan page. This site is a solid, if unexciting, source of information on the bearded suicide.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
The Paris Review
For five decades, the Paris Review has bee serving up cutting edge works by the world's most important writers; now it lends its considerable reputation to an eager online intellectuals. This site includes humor, interviews (many available in audio), poetry, fiction, etc. Many features have been expanded from the print version. You can also order t-shirts, back issues, and subscriptions for the real thing. The site is great looking, thanks the esteemed Voyager Company, but this the Paris review after all, so the real star is the writing: check out the opening paragraph fiction teasers and marvel at how precisely and beautifully language can be constructed. content: 3 aesthetic: 2.5 savvy: 2.5
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The Poetry of Yeats
It's time for the indulgence part of our program; Yeats is one of my favorites. Oh, the site isn't much to look at. It's what we call Lynx-enhanced - just text, no pictures of audio. But there are a lot of poems here. Technically, it would make any Web designer cringe. The top of the page has the title, "The Poetry of Yeats," then a very long list of poem titles that link to the text. But I just want to repeat that there are a lot of poems here.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Scoop Children's Book Reviews Home Page
This site is a must-hit for all teachers and any parents who want their children to read more than just the instructions on the Nintendo box. It features reviews of the latest in children's literature, plus a number of related sections dedicated to educating and entertaining young people: Educator Resource Center, Readers' Top Ten List, Library of Past Issues, Activity Center, and even a even a Scoop Chatroom. While some of these sections (the Activity Center, for instance) could use a content infusion, the overall quality of The Scoop's offerings should be a boon to book-loving families and teachers.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: MCM
The Scott Gallery
Michael Scott has finally brought his unique melding of photography and poetry to the Web. (Never heard of him? Neither had I.) Anyway, Michael has graciously organized his textual and visual artworks under a half dozen themes, including love, war, philosophy and others. The photos -- birds, flowers, raindrops on a branch, etc.-- are quite serene and well shot in a New Age postcard kind of way -- the accompanying poetry is extremely melodramatic. Michael says he's offering his work as "an oasis of positive thought on the Internet." With that in mind, his page deserves a look just for the karma alone.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: David Pescovitz
The Sewanee Review
An elegant home page, with its stained-glass graphic and friendly editorial, gives this southern site a fitting sense of hospitality. Published since 1892, a history of the *Sewanee Review* suggests that its devotion to literature, regardless of the latest "critical lunacies," has been the magazine's key to success. As of this review, this is the most illuminating information on site. If that doesn't grab you, feel free to read the currently featured poets, including Neal Bowers and Jeffrey Harrison, browse the editor's links, or consult the writer's guidelines. Or wait until the site is done. Aesthetics: 2 Content: 2 Smarts: 1
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The Sherlockian Connection
Any mention of Sherlock Holmes brings a wry smile to my face. Such nice stories, and the Holmes fans I've met are all such nice people. No surprise that they should at last turn up on the Web. Here you'll find a standard fan site with links to Holmes-themed external pages, and a "What's Happening" area for fans in Baltimore. There is also a great deal of information here about an e-mail list for the faithful. Pleasant, nothing exceptional, much like the stories themselves. Holmes enthusiasts will feel at home.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
The Spenser Web: The Shepheardes Calender
The beauty of this site is that it shows how the Web can really enhance literary studies. Each page of Spenser's Shepheardes Calender can be viewed in one of four different versions, including a scanned copy of the original printing. To name the site "The Spenser Web" is a little bit misleading, however, since it only has the one work. Also, getting through the first couple of pages is a little annoying, since the links are hidden at the very bottom of the pages.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Swagazine Rack
Santa Barbara-area poets and writers bare their souls online. Swagazine was born from a BBS; back in the good old days, it seems the various contributors shared messages of such considerable talent that they decided to pool their efforts, take on the world, and start an Internet publication. Or so the story goes. Anyway, its nearly three years later, and there are two completed issues to show for it. The collected writings are sometimes entertaining, sometimes exasperating, and generally a lot better than average. Be sure to have a look at The Internet Insult Contest: Funny as hell. Every writer has got a handle dating back to the now defunct BBS and an attitude to match. A new issue should be out in late September or October. It's worth checking out.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The Wild Wilde Web Welcome
"To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up." - Oscar Wilde A poet in the 19th century could not be successful by holing up in a garret and writing madly. A social dimension was required. Wit was required. A really good poet had to be able to show up at a party and say something, at least one sentence, that would be so very clever as to be repeated by more than one person, thereby assuring the poet's reputation. In the 20th century, wit was practiced by Dorothy Parker and the members of the Algonquin Round Table, but in recent times wit seems to have fallen in disfavor. Oscar Wilde was a master of wit, which is the focus of Michael Tidmus' Wild Wilde Web. Originally, Michael was just going to put a page on the Web of Wilde's witticisms, but he decided that there had to be some kind of contextualization, so the site expanded to include a biography, a list of Wilde's works, other people's quotes about Wilde, and links to Wilde-related sites on the web. The material on the Web site was salvaged from an exhibit Mr. Tidmus had taken part in called "Serious Games: Interactive Images." He chose to create an interactive piece about Wilde, using the paradigm of a Victorian parlor game. Some time later, he was asked to be "the participating American artist in ArtAIDS (http://artaids.dcs.qmw.ac.uk:8001) - a project of AIDS-related images that went online on World AIDS Day, 1994." This introduction to HTML gave him the expertise to program the Wilde site. The graphics on the site are particularly exceptional, which is no wonder, since Mr. Tidmus has been a graphic designer since 1984. He says he "spent seven years freelancing Apple Computer's advertising graphics for BBDO and Chiat-Day." One of the most extensive areas on the site, and probably the most useful, is the bibliography section - a list of books about or with references to Wilde. The only drawback is that these books should probably have been linked to some other online reference that provides further information about them. When I asked Mr. Tidmus what Wilde might have thought about the Web (a question I acknowledge is pretty stupid), he kindly replied, "I think Oscar would have applauded the accessibility of knowledge and deplored the lack of beauty inherent in much Web design."
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Todd's Great Big Stupendous Poetry Page
Forget coffeehouses people, the Web is the new home for good (but too often really bad) poets: This page overflows with what Todd the poet calls his "Random Poetry" and he deserves kudos for taking the DIY approach to publishing his verbiage. For a hint of what's in store, check out "The," a Todd masterwork that really touched me. Todd better be careful though. Some of his contributors may edge him out in the absurd poetry arena. Take "Tablet Junker" from Amanda Parks for example: "Michael Jacko / Is a wacko / He went smacko / In a cracko / Now he's backo / He gets slacko / I think his new album is okay." Yeah... dig it.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz
Turkish Poetry Home Page
Often, late at night, I find myself in a panic. The world is simply too big, and I will never know more than the smallest portion of it. This page did nothing to allay my fears. Poetry - in Turkey? It seems I've managed to pass a lifetime without giving any real thought to the possibility. A wide selection of Turkish poetry is presented in the original and in English. Numerous scholarly works assist the reader in placing the poetry in context, and the simple layout does not interfere with efforts to explore the site. A pleasant curiosity for any lover of words.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Unlock The Cypher
In the introduction, The Cypher is described as an "Interactive Cybernovel," Readers follow three separate story lines (which take place in 999, 1900 and 1999) to uncover all the twisted, supernatural mysteries of Castle Ravenshim, piecing together the stories from a collection of graphics, sound files and text (they can even trade e-mail with the main characters). Slick, sleek and attractive, The Cypher is a state-of-the-art of online multimedia experience. Unfortunately, the prose is pretty darn pulpy and the characters are as deep as flattened 8-bit GIFs. In other words, this Cybernovel contains more cyber than novel-either a positive or a negative quality, depending on your priorities.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: MCM
Vergil's Home Page
Latin fans will find this page quite a treat, since most of the on-location texts by Vergil are in the original. For all of us translation wimps, there are links to English versions of the Aeneid and the Georgics. While the page is tastefully designed, it isn't very well-organized. Its plethora of links, such as texts, bibliography, pictures, and related articles, are all just thrown together on one page.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Victorian Women Writers
No men. No Edwardians. Just Victorian women writers. Which ought to tell you that this is a site by and for those with an academic interest in that bygone era of corsets, courting gentlemen and purple prose. But don't be fooled; there's a political edge, oft-overlooked, with a few radical feminist writers here. Apparently the "project" in the title refers to the ongoing effort to assemble literary works of this type online (for the moment the content is limited). Be warned, these are big files. While you *could* download them to your hard drive, are you really going to read it all afterwards? Well, maybe you are...
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
Virtual Emily
Emily Dickinson, one of the more enigmatic figures in American literature, has her life deconstructed by the curators of Virtual Emily. With ample respect for the poet and the circumstances in which she created her art, V.E. offers any newcomer to Dickinson the background they will need to understand her truly remarkable contribution to modern poetry. The primary offering is chronological biography that divides her life into periods of productivity, depression, hope, and seclusion. The essays for each period are well-written and informative, supplemented by photographs of the poet and her family and even diagrams of her homestead in Amherst. There are also links to the works that made her posthumously famous.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Virtual Henry
Ah, the play made from the movie by Kenneth Brannagh, or was it Mel Gibson? Anyway, something like that. The full text of "Henry V" is here, which should be enough in itself, but we are also demonstrating the powers of HTML. The text is annotated with hyperlinks, which is brilliant, and not only do the annotations have text, they also have pictures, so you can see, for example, what Henry V's father looked like.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Virtual Urth
Someone spent a great deal of time building this site. More specifically, someone spent a great deal of time determining which background and text color combinations are most indecipherable, and then gleefully constructed a site based on that information. This is a poetry/literary 'zine, and I do wish I could have explored more of it. Unfortunately, poor HTML coding practices made for a mess while once again proving my first Law of the Web: frames are almost always a force for evil. The situation grew horrible enough to bring my Netscape 2.0 crashing down, carrying with it several telnet sessions and my mood.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Steve Szyszko
Virtual Urth
Someone spent a great deal of time building this site. More specifically, someone spent a great deal of time determining which background and text color combinations are most indecipherable, and then gleefully constructed a site based on that information. This is a poetry/literary �zine, and I do wish I could have explored more of it. Unfortunately, poor HTML coding practices made for a mess while once again proving my first Law of the Web: frames are almost always a force for evil. The situation grew horrible enough to bring my Netscape 2.0 crashing down, carrying with it several telnet sessions and my mood.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Steve Szyszko
WPA Life Histories
Originally a government-sponsored Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA) from 1936-40, this web site gives the history of the WPA and provides an excellent search engine to scour the some 2,900 works from that era. In the late '30s, more than 10,000 writers from across the country wrote biographies on Americans, of various ethnic and religious groups, occupations, and regions. The result is a first-hand glimpse of 1930's Americana.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Diedra Ramsey
WWW POET'S PARK
Most poetry is bad. Most literature is bad, for that matter, but the rewards of the well-written poem or story are so great that one endures the dreck. Poet's Park is an online literary journal. By the previous rule, it's the case that most of its contents are mediocre at best. The attractive layout and pleasing design make the bad writing endurable, though, and further one's enjoyment of the worthwhile - which is hiding in there, by the way. Handy "mail to" links allow almost effortless feedback to the writers. This small e-zine is worth a visit.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
Weblit
This site provides a pretty exhaustive list of links to things literary on the web. It also rates some of those sites -- a little too charitably methinks. In addition to indexing individual web pages, it also indexes photographic images as pertain to literary figures, as well as downloadable texts available on the Web. As such, a pretty decent resource, I spose. There are some minor technical glitches, however, (clicking on the alphabetal index got me an advertisement for sojourn.com, the server, and who needs that?) and a backlog of URL's which have yet to be reviewed.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
Welcome to the 19CWWW
The nineteenth century online seems kinda oxymoronic -- or should I say anachronistic? Nevertheless, this is what the Victorian Women Writer's site shoulda coulda woulda been but ain't. Slick of interface and deep of content, this one is more than just an electronic library. It also features art exhibits, graphics and a surprisingly active bulletin board where students of American Studies can post queries and comments. So while I'm still dubious as to the usefulness of great chunks of text online (I might feel differently if I could search the text easily, via key word or somesuch) others apparently appreciate it and take advantage of it.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
William Blake Poet and Engraver
Created by another academic group that believes Blake's work is not fully understood without the illustrations, this site is attempting to produce a CD-ROM and a hypertext archive to provide access to Blake's full range. The examples on the pages of this site make me absolutely thirsty to see more, but the project won't be complete until 1998. Because a major part of the work will be going on throughout 1996 and 1997, this is a good site for periodic visits.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
William Faulkner on the Web
Yoknapatawpha County comes alive in John B. Padgett's tribute to one of America's greatest writers. The design is tasteful and clean, the links work, and the content is there - lots of it. If you have any interest in Faulkner, this site will make your week. There could still be more text from the books, but a pretty thorough bibliogrpahy is included, with art to boot. BLUE LIGHT
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Bremser
William Gibson's yard show
Cyberpunk is nothing but a rehashed 1930's futurism coupled with a fetishizing of Intel's latest products. Espousing this creed, I approach with trepidation anything vaguely connected to William Gibson. As I wandered the site my unease turned to confusion, then curiosity, and finally bemusement. I'm not certain what any of this has to do with Gibson, but I like it. Peculiar images of keyboard playing sociopaths and detailed critiques of 50's era Atomic Disintegrator toys vie for the visitor's attention. Admittedly there are more than a few empty links, but the oddity factor is more than enough to excuse the mess.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
bukowski
You'll find them in every college town: no talent twentysomething slackers drinking beer, telling stories about girlfriends they never had, quietly trying to play out a Bukowski story they once may have read. Admittedly, some Bukowski can be amusing, but most of his hard-drinking tales bore me. Visitors to this site will find a few pieces of Bukowski art, some sound files, a brief bio, and the various other items one typically finds at a small fan site. Pleasant enough, but this is certainly not the definitive Buk space. Interested parties should try a net search.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
kathy acker hoam paige
I had never encountered the work of Kathy Acker prior to this page. This may be a good thing - my fragile psyche is still in pieces over the way "Cheers" ended. This site offers extensive selections from Acker's work, in addition to news, reviews, and related links. The organization and presentation in no way dampen the intensity of the writing here. The word "postmodern" appears numerous times in this space, and this definitely works for me for if "postmodern" can be considered synonymous to "mad as hell." Overall, a collection of disturbing and pointed writings that no doubt have quite a following.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Steve Szyszko
kids lit
"Designed for kids and adults interested in quality kids literature." Buy books, submit art and stories, read letters to Santa - a little dated, indeed- sign a guest book, and submit your personal comments. This site features all the typical Web ammenities, and is a great space to share with the wee ones. It could use a little layout help, but overall, it's on the up.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Shel Kimen