Is Tumblr the New Narnia? A Few Reflections on C.S. Lewis, Romanticism and Their Relevance on Media and Cultural Studies.

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic and semiotic observations made by the author on the microblogging platform Tumblr, this paper argues that C.S. Lewis’ critical literary heritage, particularly his reflections on the psycho-aesthetic, imaginative value of ‘Kappa’ (hidden / cryptic) elements in fiction, retains its relevance today and can provide analytical insights to contemporary media and cultural analysts. A brief empirically-informed argument will be presented, building on material extracted from a loosely-woven community of ‘nostalgic’ bloggers. Their collaborative use of hypermedia, including literary citations, illustrations, animations and photographs, will be analysed, in an attempt to understand the Romantically-informed emotional and historiographic construction of ‘nostalgic’ visual discourse, as represented throughout this specific digital environment.