Works Cited

Adams, Douglas. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Primary Phase." Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. BBC Radio 4. 4 Mar. 1978.

"Apollo 13 Splashdown Photo." Hubble Space Images - Buy Quality NASA Pictures Photos Slides Duratrans. 04 Mar. 2009 .

"BBC Radiophonic Workshop." The White Files. 04 Mar. 2009 .

Bell, Alan J. "Episode 1." Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. BBC Two. 5 Jan. 1981.

"BFI | Features | Britain's Most Watched TV | 1970s." BFI | Home. 04 Mar. 2009 .

Cambridge Footlights || home. 04 Mar. 2009 .

Douglas Adams. 04 Mar. 2009 .

Hayward, Jennifer Poole. Consuming pleasures active audiences and serial fictions from Dickens to soap opera. Lexington: University P of Kentucky, 1997.

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: NYU P, 2006.

Marr, Andrew. "BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Chaos, rubbish and revolution." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 04 Mar. 2009 .

Marshall, McLuhan,, and Quentin Fiore. The Medium is the Massage. New York: Gingko P, 2005.

Simpson, M. J. The Unofficial Guide to the Hitch-Hiker's Guide. New York: Trafalgar Square, 2001.

Webb, Nick. Wish you were here the official biography of Douglas Adams. New York: Ballantine Books, 2005.

ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha -- the official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy appreciation society. 04 Mar. 2009 .

1970s: Britain's 'Dark Years'

picture: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2190412.ece?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News

Winter of Discontent (1978-9): Strikes put England at a standstill. Clip.

Apollo 13 Splashdown

http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mostwatched/1970s.html

Science Fiction Timeline.

Vogon Poetry (the Books)

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) Douglas Adams

"Oh freddled gruntbuggly..." he began. Spasms wracked Ford's body--this was worse than even he'd been prepared for.

"?...thy micturations are to me/As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee."

"Aaaaaaarggggghhhhhh!" went Ford Prefect, wrenching his head back as lumps of pain thumped through it. He could dimly see beside him Arthur lolling and rolling in his seat. He clenched his teeth.

"Groop I implore thee," continued the merciless Vogon, "my foonting turlingdromes."

His voice was rising to a horrible pitch of impassioned stridency. "And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,/ Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!" (Adams, pg. 59)

Other Versions of Hitchhiker's Guide

The Comic Book: Adaptation of first novel by John Carnell with artwork by Steve Leialoha. (1992) (Simpson, pg. 61)

The Movie: Directed by Garth Jennings (2005) (imdb.com) after Douglas Adams' death. See a clip of the Vogon Poetry scene here.

Interactive Computer Game: Infocom (1984) Text version. Text with Images version.

Recap of themes

1. McLuhan's argument that the visual is fragmentized while the audible is all-encompassing, is flawed.

2. The serial form lends itself to Henry Jenkins' convergence culture theory, specifically participatory culture.

Hitchhiker's Guide as a Serial

A strong fanbase.

-Continued interest for almost 30 years, multiple adaptations.

-Translated in over 30 different languages.

Fan Communities:

ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha is the official online fan community, with an international membership, a fanzine, and multiple social gatherings.

Emphasis on community and discussion:

Quote from Membership page on the site:

ZZ9 is a social experience. Originally formed as an excuse to get together and reappreciate the works of one Douglas Adams, it continues the grand tradition of bringing people together.

Fanzine:

Mostly Harmless

110th issue

October 2008

A sample of the fanzine.

Active fanbase:

Interaction with Douglas Adams: The forum on his personal website.

Douglas Adams asking his fans for help.

Use of suspense and cliffhangers:

Will our heroes survive this terrible ordeal? Can they win through with their integrity unscathed? Can they escape without completely compromising their honor and artistic judgment? (end of Fit the First, original radio series)

The Serial and Participatory Culture

What is a serial?

Oed.com definition: Belonging to, forming part of, or consisting of a series; taking place or occurring in a regular succession.

What is a participatory culture?

"Culture in which fans and other consumers are invited to actively participate in the creation and circulation of new content," (Henry Jenkins, pg. 331).

Early example?

Charles Dickens' the Pickwick Papers.

Cover of original serial. (1836-7)

(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dickens/life_publication.html)

Letter to Dickens from a fan regarding the character Sam Weller, "Counsel him [Dickens] to develop the character largely--to the utmost" (Jennifer Hayward, pg. 24)

One reviewer of Dickens' serial wrote, "It throws us into a state of unreal excitement, a trace, a dream, which we should be allowed to dream out, and then be sent back to the atmosphere of reality again" (Hayward, pg. 26).

Examples of nonliterary serials:

Comics, Soap Operas, Movie series, any television series.

What do successful serials have in common?

Modern Examples?

Harry Potter

-active fanbase community

-many people grew up with the series and are familiar with it