The Web of Text and the Web of God: An Essay on the Third Information Transformation

Technology's influence upon our sense of self and our consciousness of the world around us has been a subject of increasing concern in recent years. Offering a provocative new perspective, this deeply personal book by the late Alan C. Purves, renowned literacy scholar and English educator, embraces as its focus the electronic medium known as hypertext. Elucidating vital connections between the written word and how human beings think, communicate, and worship, Purves thoughtfully examines how this new kind of writing has led to a new relationship between reader and text. The book engagingly draws upon hypertextual writing strategies to probe the ways conventions of authorship, narrative, and textually based religious traditions are transformed. Also considered is the impact of electronic networks upon human communities, including communities of faith.