Tale of Two Writers- The Blogger and the Author

In Joseph Harris’s book, Rewriting, he discusses the idea of Intertexuality, in which academics are constantly writing in response to other’s works. Not writing one’s own stories, novels, or essays. The purpose of an intellectual should be to push and ask questions of what has been said or written. Similarly, Andrew Sullivan finds that blogging should not just be some boring post, but something deeper, something with meaning that stirs a debate, or discusses a controversy.

            Likewise, both Sullivan and Harris find that their form of media, whether written word or blogs should stray from the path of the essay format with thesis and opening sentences. Rather, writing should be a fluid motion, like Harris writes, “As part of a game or dance or performance or conversation.”

            On another note Harris not only preaches about the flow of writing like a conversation, but practices it as well which is clearly shown in his book. The entire thing feels like a blog or conversation.

Furthermore, Harris’s idea of people constantly dealing with words and how we need to relate it not only to our own language but our own perspectives shows that the old method of structuralized writing is no longer as important as things like blogs which help people better understand writing, and allow for easier methods of reading.