Orality and Literacy (New Accents)

This is readable and sheds light on so many questions. I'm still reading it, and, surprisingly for an academic book, I can hardly put it down!

Got this book as an original source for my doctoral studies. Great information that helps me lay a foundation

Really interesting and relevant read. I had it for a college course. The information is for the most part easily accessible and digestible, though Ong sometimes goes off on tangents that I struggled to follow. There's some criticism on the accuracy of his claim on how writing affects human consciousness, but it's still a fun theory and has some practical uses.

This book is for readers who are interested in Marshall McLuhan, Millman Parry, Eric Havelock, Harold Innes. Ong addresses oral culture and literate culture and the differences between them. Also discusses secondary orality.

Ong is one of the most mind-blowing writers in the field of literacy studies/linguistics, and yet he manages to write such complex concepts in very digestable, flowing language. It takes a true master of his subject to be able to make his work so approachable while simultaneously pushing you to expand your notion of what impacts the transition from oral to a text-based/visual society will have.

Ong's book contains some insightful discourse on speech and text. This book is required for a college course I am taking but I plan on reading it again after the semester. He gives numerous perspectives on the origin and use of language that have me greatly intrigued to explore and ponder. The reason I gave this 3 stars is because the information is not effectively delivered. There isn't a clear structure to his essays which sadly diminishes the profound ideas he writes about. He also tends to go off topic and some essays in this book appear to be derailed by some secondary idea. Many of the essays also do not have thesis or conclusions, making it difficult to extract anything of value without the help of an instructor. Upon a second reading I will need to highlight and write more clear notes. Overall he's got some awesome ideas, but reading the book is hard work even for someone who reads and writes a lot.

I found this book very interesting and informative. A very good book.

An instrumental work and understanding or the extraordinary and sustaining change in human thought outlined by Ong.