Giving Literature Virtual Life

Many teachers and administrators are only beginning to figure out the contours of the emerging field of digital humanities, and how it should be taught. In the classroom, however, digitally savvy undergraduates are not just ready to adapt to the tools but also to explore how new media may alter the very process of reading, interpretation and analysis. Those skeptical of the digital humanities worry that the emphasis on data analysis will distract students from delving deeply into the heart and soul of literary texts. But others contend that these undergraduates are in fact reading quite closely.