The Book The Screen and 1000 Children

All systems are go...in many directions!
Have been reading (oh I have I been reading!!! Try breezing through Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress for upliftment...Hell Fire and Bush...I mean Brimstone).
Writing Space by Jay Bolton, a slightly dated discussion on hypertext (1991...things move fast these days) although still very good for general historical contexts. Bolton in the intro muses upon the eventually decline of the printed book (many were concerned with the "Death of Books" in the first wave of hypertext and internet) and this is something I've been thinking about over the last few months. Who knows really what will happen to our tree eating friends but I know I would sure miss them.
The alternatives are interesting and many but when reading a book does not usually require a manual?
In my studies at the moment I am moving between Restoration and Seventeenth Century literature (course work) and texts of the 21 century (thesis research). This contrast is interesting in itself. Reading a Blog by a woman living in present day California and then returning to Samual Pepys Diary provides for contrasts in a list almost as long as the years between them (Gender roles, Private/Public Self, Education, even the position of imperial power in the world today etc. etc.). Yesterday I read Aphra Behn's The City Heiress and that surprised me. Around the middle of the play opinions are expressed that would be considered modern today, particularly concerning marriage. Although it all ends in 'normality’ with a wedding and consensus. I think Aphra would have been a cool person to sit next to at a dinner party.
I am now alone with my son until Sunday as my partner goes to her Chi Gong course out in a forest village. Tomorrow I will be spending the whole day attempting to communicate the power of language to hundreds of young children as they take over the university for Upptäcktsfärden. I am the English Institutions representative and I really hope I can convey to these curious youngsters just how incredible language is (in ten minutes) and it is really worthwhile to study as many of them as possible in one short lifetime. No worries ;-)