Discussion as an Affordance: The Dark Ages of SparkNotes
The chance to engage with other writers is a core reason for the increasing success of Substack. Every post has a comment button, and some writers are skilled in lighting small fires to attract eyes to their campsite. Lots of writers conspire together to start bonfires and draw new readers. Some of the most revealing and personal writing resides in the comment bubbles, I think because it’s almost journaling. It’s pretty tricky to trace so it tends to vanish, at least in my experience.
Natalie Wexler, the author I discussed briefly in connection with the Knowledge Matters! Campaign in November, recently published here a post taking a perspective on AI as a destructive force for knowledge. In particular, she focused on the danger of young people getting hooked not on phonics, but on artificial summaries. Here’s the idea: If a student can get basic information about a text or topic in bite-sized summaries, why will they read books? And what about the nuances they will miss? Isn’t this new machine just a souped up model of SparkNotes? Personally, having lots of experience with the bot and casual glances at SparkNotes, SparkNotes is clunky, obnoxious, and intellectually prescriptive and pretentious. The bot can be obnoxious and clunky but it is never intellectually prescriptive nor pretentious—unless you command it to be. The difference is subtle and easy to miss.
ME: Write a sentence about a topic of your choice that is humble and honest.
BOT: In learning, every step forward, no matter how small, is a victory worth cherishing.
ME: Now write a sentence on the same topic that is intellectually prescriptive and pretentious.
BOT: To actualize one's intellectual potential, it is imperative to engage in a rigorous regimen of academic endeavor, demonstrably transcending the mundane confines of pedestrian scholarship.
ME: Write a brief piece about the book Huckleberry Finn in the style of SparkNotes.
BOT: "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is a seminal work of American literature that profoundly captures the essence of life along the Mississippi River in the mid-19th century. Through the eyes of its young protagonist, Huckleberry Finn, Twain explores themes of freedom, morality, and the deep-seated racial prejudices of the American South.
The novel begins with Huck living under the guardianship of the Widow Douglas, who, along with her sister, Miss Watson, attempts to civilize him. However, Huck's drunken father, Pap, kidnaps him, prompting Huck to escape to Jackson's Island. There, he encounters Jim, Miss Watson's enslaved person, who has run away after overhearing plans to sell him. Together, Huck and Jim set off on a makeshift raft down the Mississippi River, seeking freedom from their respective oppressors.
Their journey is filled with a series of adventures and mishaps, introducing a cast of characters that range from the noble to the nefarious. These experiences deeply influence Huck's moral development, challenging his previously unexamined beliefs about race and society. He comes to admire Jim's kindness and humanity, grappling with the immorality of slavery and the societal norms that endorse it.
Twain's use of vernacular speech and firsthand narrative perspective immerses the reader in the historical and cultural context of the antebellum South. The novel's satirical elements critique the hypocrisy and absurdity of "civilized" society, while its episodic structure reflects the unpredictability and complexity of life.
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is not just a story of adventure but a profound commentary on the moral dilemmas facing a nation on the brink of profound social change. Its enduring relevance lies in its candid exploration of issues like freedom, friendship, and the struggle against societal injustices.”
ME: How does this piece exemplify the style of SparkNotes?
BOT: This piece mirrors the style of SparkNotes through several characteristic elements:
1. **Summarization**: It begins by providing a concise overview of the novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," highlighting its main character, setting, and central themes, akin to how SparkNotes summarizes the premise of literary works.
2. **Analysis of Themes and Characters**: Similar to SparkNotes, the analysis delves into the exploration of major themes like freedom, morality, and racism, offering interpretations of how these themes are embodied through the experiences of Huck and Jim. It discusses the characters’ development and the societal critique embedded in their journey, reflecting SparkNotes' focus on thematic depth and character analysis.
3. **Contextual Information**: The piece places the novel within its historical and cultural context, discussing its commentary on American society and the issue of slavery in the antebellum South. This mirrors SparkNotes' approach of providing readers with the necessary background to better understand the text's setting and societal implications.
4. **Language and Structure**: The straightforward and informative language used with a clear, organized structure is characteristic of SparkNotes. This style aims to make complex literary works accessible and understandable, focusing on clarity and educational value.
5. **Critical Perspective**: By highlighting Twain's use of vernacular speech and the novel’s critique of societal norms, the piece engages in a level of literary analysis typical of SparkNotes, aiming not just to describe the book’s content but also to offer insights into its literary significance and the author's techniques.
Overall, the piece emulates SparkNotes by providing a clear, insightful, and concise exploration of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," making it accessible to readers seeking a deeper understanding of the novel's themes, characters, and social commentary.
ME: How might you alter this SparkNotes approach as an assistant reader given your ability to interact with the reader? How would you improve on the mission of making complex literature more accessible to students?
BOT: Leveraging the interactive capacity as an assistant reader, I would enhance the mission of making complex literature more accessible to students through the following approaches:
1. **Personalized Summaries**: Offer summaries tailored to the student's current understanding or specific requirements. For instance, if a student struggles with the thematic depth of a novel, the summary could focus more on explaining these themes in relation to the plot and characters.
2. **Interactive Q&A Sessions**: Enable a feature where students can ask specific questions about the text and receive immediate, detailed answers. This could range from clarifications on plot points to deeper explorations of character motivations or thematic elements, fostering a more engaged understanding.
3. **Contextual Deep Dives**: Provide more dynamic and interactive contextual backgrounds that connect historical and cultural settings of a literary work to current events or trends, making the literature more relatable and understandable for a modern audience.
4. **Adaptive Learning Paths**: Suggest and adapt learning paths based on the student's engagement and comprehension level. For instance, if a student shows particular interest in a theme or struggles with an aspect of the literature, the assistant can offer additional resources or exercises focused on that area.
5. **Multimedia Integration**: Incorporate multimedia elements like video summaries, interactive timelines, and character maps to cater to different learning styles, making the literature more visually accessible and engaging.
6. **Comparison and Analysis Tools**: Offer tools for comparing and contrasting various interpretations of the text, including scholarly articles, critical essays, and different media adaptations. This would encourage students to develop their own analytical skills and perspectives.
7. **Practice Quizzes and Essays**: Provide customizable quizzes and essay prompts with instant feedback, helping students to test their understanding and apply their knowledge in a structured manner.
8. **Community and Discussion**: Create a platform for discussion and debate among students about literary interpretations, themes, and characters. This could foster a collaborative learning environment and offer diverse perspectives on the material.
9. **Augmented Reality Experiences**: Where possible, employ augmented reality to bring literary settings, historical backdrops, and character interactions to life, offering a more immersive understanding of the material.
10. **Accessibility Features**: Ensure that the content is accessible to students with disabilities, including text-to-speech for visually impaired students or simplified summaries for students with learning disabilities, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to engage with literature fully.
By integrating these interactive and personalized features, the mission of making complex literature more accessible can be significantly advanced, transforming the way students interact with and understand literary works.
Discussion ensued with lots of agreement with Natalie’s position. Yes, this bot is going to harm us. You’ll notice I recycled and shortened my thoughts about reading the Iliad and the Odyssey. When j.e. chimed in, making his comment forthrightly, my eyes lit up.
I.
Letters from a Psychotherapist
As someone who faced challenges learning to read, AI has been a godsend. Used appropriately, AI has expanded the market of readers who can access once indecipherable passages of text into something meaningful. AI has helped me to become a better reader and writer. My struggles with language have been shepherded to a more refined understanding, not less. AI is a great remedial tool to lift up the struggling to get to a better place in their reading and writing. Of course, AI is limiting to those who don’t truly need assistance, just like braces would limit those not suffering from a muscle disease.
II.
Terry Underwood
Thank you for telling this to the world, j.e. This sentence is beautiful: “AI has expanded the market of readers who can access once indecipherable passages of text into something meaningful.” I’m not dyslexic, but I often encounter texts that are indecipherable, and AI is a godsend to me as well. It doesn’t help much with authors like James Joyce, Clarice Lispector, or William Faulkner, but it brings previously daunting texts within reach. Lots of people make hasty generalizations from one instance with a crazy bot. If Natalie had used the bot to create a workbook herself, providing the bot with clear goals, she wouldn’t be so disenthralled with it. I see this all the time among academics. Use it first. Then criticize it. People were once afraid of airplanes.
I don’t see AI as a brace so much as a semiotic problem solving tool. For example, I am among the unfortunates who never read Homer. I tried several times, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of the Iliad, which I tried first. After reading the Iliad, the Odyssey was much less indecipherable. I read the Iliad with AI every step of the way to help me get past the hundreds of gods, goddesses, and soldiers that interact among Hector, Achilles, Agamemnon, Nestor, and Paris. It took me three months.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an expert on Homer by any means. But I can now read and talk with experts. AI could never have read Homer for me. But I honestly don’t know how I could have read it apart from a graduate seminar without AI.
Fears about AI doing the reading are overstated at best. AI cannot read nor can it write. But the only way to learn that is to use AI regularly and bemoan firsthand its helplessness in the face of existential complexity. Would that it could go beyond its limitations. Because its essence is that of a gambler playing the odds, it will become better as it plays.
III.
I am not an educator or a writer. I am a pharmacist who grew up poor on a farm. Reading and learning were greatly valued by my parents and extended family. We lived in a very rural area so cable and satellite were not affordable or available options. We had the big 3, as well as PBS. We spent much of our time reading physical books.
My house is full of books. I have hundreds I have read more than once, and just as many more I have yet to read. I read fiction, nonfiction, and a little of almost any category. There are so many stories and poems in my mind that I can pull forward to occupy or distract myself. I have read Skippyjon Jones to my nieces so many times, I can still remember and recite the first few lines. Or I think about a new concept I have learned or a different perspective in viewing history or events or interrelationships.
Using summaries can be very helpful in researching an answer to a question a patient has about a medication or health condition. It helps me quickly decide whether the article contains the information I am searching for. Scientific writing is very different from literature, biography, and other types of writing where the nuances of the words one chooses makes a difference in meaning. Allowing AI to use a thesaurus to pick words similar to but not the same as the ones the writer chose can greatly change what one takes away from what one has read.
I have an Oxford comma and to me, there is a difference in meaning when it is used versus when it is not. (Thank you Eats, Shoots and Leaves).
I love the English language and the half million words in it. I love being able to express myself with nuance for the exact meaning I intend. I would be so limited in French or other languages with only fifty thousand words or so.
(Sorry for rambling and getting off topic—I had interruptions)
AI can have advantages for some in certain situations. I would hate to have it take over and replace human thought and imagination and creativity. It can mimic but can it truly create? It is limited by the parameters and information it is provided with. Would AI be able to produce the writing of William Faulkner or Ernest Hemingway without first having been provided with examples of their writing?
IV.
This is your space.