Scalar: Visual Theoretical Space Delete
Fig. 1. This is a mock image of the first page of this chapter in Scalar. On the left is my prose discussing Lamar’s life after the publication of Bourgeois Blues, and on the right is the audio recording of Lamar’s discussing the reason why he came to Paris in 1993.
Another structural feature available in Scalar are paths. While paths can follow the chapter’s main table of contents, paths can also have sub or alternative table of contents (see Fig. 2). Scalar defines paths as:
This means that a Scalar article can have multiple linear directions and points of departure. As such, this article has multiple paths connected directly to my analysis of Rendezvous Eighteenth For instance, my analyses of the narrator as a guide are paths in Scalar; I analyze the narrator’s routes of detective fiction and romance. Specifically, one path shows how the novel adheres to and departs from detective fiction conventions. The other path demonstrates that Ricky’s “interior dialogue” reveals that he is motivated by love/romance (see Fig. 3). In Scalar, I guide the reader to multiple ways of moving through the chapter beyond the main table of contents. Paths are routes of displaying the relationships between pages and media such as the narrator’s itinerary.a linear sequence of content. You can turn any page or media file into a path simply by specifying the pieces of content it contains and their order. Any time you want your reader to experience content in a specific order, use a path. Paths can intersect (i.e. they may share pages) and they can contain any kind of Scalar content, even other paths, enabling you to create hierarchical structures. par. 2 “Whole-Whole Relationships” Scalar
Fig. 2. This is a mock image of the main Table of Contents on the left side of the screen. This page shows the list of every page/media that I have made viewable in this Scalar article.
Fig. 3. This is a mock image of the paths that are available on the bottom of this screen. Once I make changes in Scalar, this image will be more description of the example in the paragraph above. On the top left of the screen are three bulleted lines. If that icon is clicked, it will display the main Table of Contents.
Finally, in my Scalar article, I use tags to map my reading of Rendezvous Eighteenth. Tags are defined as:
In this way, tags can create content on pages. For example, I use tags to display my analysis of Amine’s article situating two-sides of Paris in mid-twentieth century African-American expatriate fiction. Specifically, I show how Lamar is a part of this tradition yet departs from it. I tag locations where Lamar portrays interracial romance and allegiance with Algerian Paris—locations such as rue berthe, rue de Trétaigne, the mairie of the Eighteenth, and la Goutte d’Or (see Fig. 4). These tags when clicked display pages that show my examination of Ricky’s relationships in these settings. As such, the tags are a visual, theoretical space of Lamar’s representation of Paris and show his departure from black American migration narratives of inclusion.a non-linear grouping of content. Many websites use tags as content descriptors; ways to identify commonalities amongst heterogeneous items. Scalar tags function in a similar way, with a key difference being that the tag itself is not just a bit of text but its own full-fledged piece of content. Any page or media file can be used to tag other Scalar content, opening up a wide range of possibilities, including using media as tags, modeling relationships between objects of study, and more. (par. 5 “Whole-Whole Relationships” Scalar)
Fig. 4. This is an image of tags in Rendezvous Eighteenth. More details to follow once changes are made in Scalar.
[1] This capability is not much different from basic website design, but the structures available in Scalar become more dynamic with the use of paths and tags, which are discussed below.
This page has paths:
- Rendezvous Eighteenth Header Tyechia Thompson