Progression
Isn’t it amazing how theories and thoughts evolve. Imagine Charles Darwin, and his process in writing On the Origin of Species, and the revisions that went Into all six editions.
How amazing would it be to see that process
for yourself? It seems
incredible am I right. I’ll let you in on a secret; in Ben Fry’s, The Preservation of Favoured Traces, all six editions of Darwin’s text and process can be viewed. On one page. You can see the
adaptions that have been
made throughout the editions thanks to the color coating, which you can scroll your mouse over to discover which part has been adapted and included. This is a perfect example of the evolution of literature where one of the most famous and influential
texts of all time has been
transformed into what seems to be a more easily accessible online form. Why does this seem
easier?
Perhaps because you do not need any of the editions, you just need a web page which grants you
immediate access to all of them.
In this you will also find the areas
that have been revised and adapted by Darwin in chronological order
indicated by color. This form of exposure to the text has a presence to it that makes the viewer feel as though they are witnessing
something amazing. And it is.
Reading this form of the text gives an
entirely different experience than
reading it from a book would, and that
is where the magic is. The evolution of technology is able to present the
theory of evolution in a way that is the example of the way things become something more.