But beyond working with basic text animation and variations on hypertext, other artists have approached electronic writing as a way to experiment with light versions of artificial intelligence
I'm excited to get to learn the versions of literature E-lit will bring to life that incorporate a.i., as experimental designs, video games and websites in general.
Grigar further argues that as video games and other popular culture digital media forms mainstream into the academy, so too will Electronic Literature.
I agree and feel that our understanding of what E-lit is can and will change throughout our lives, merging and changing with the different types of media's that show up, video games with story progression could even be considered E-lit.
"literary works created with the use of a computer for the electronic medium such that they cannot be experienced in any meaningful way without the mediation of an electronic device"
Taking into account this definition, E-lit is best experienced through electronic devices, which if I were to guess means the creative aspects in literature involves a few sensory experiences that are not as easily available consuming a physical book.
Collaborative writing projects that allow readers to contribute to the text of a work
Interesting that this does not say, for example: "Social online spaces used for collaborative reading/writing." Collaborative writing does not have to be electronic, but the electronic does facilitate kinds of collaborative writing not possible otherwise.
What is E-Lit?
Art in the medium of written words, through the medium of computers.
(my working definition until I know better)
The confrontation with technology at the level of creation is what distinguishes electronic literature from, for example, e-books, digitized versions of print works, and other products of print authors “going digital.”
The idea of there being a confrontation of technology and literature to create something new feels like a medium that is full of dissonance and an almost kinetic quality. When thought of in that way, it truly begins to feel different from e-books and other converted print works.
Novels that take the form of emails, SMS messages, or blogs
As a fan of epistolary novels, I really look forward to seeing how these little personal tidbits can come together to form a complete narrative.
To this end, I have commissioned digital artist/writers
From all of the examples given so far it seems like you need to be a master of quite a few different trades to be able to produce e-lit. There's the prose, the graphics, the ability to code in some way. It seems like e-lit may be a team sport.
But not being mainstreamed does not mean elit does not exist or if it did exist at one time, that it is now dead.
...said every "nerd" ever about every niche interest that has every existed.
Colossal Cave Adventure, the first textual adventure game
I wonder if it's anything like Oregon Trail. Did anyone else play that game growing up?
Early hypertext fictions, Coover wrote, gave careful readers a sense of “losing oneself to a text . . . until clicking the mouse is as unconscious an act as turning a page, and much less constraining, more compelling.” (“Literary Hypertext”)
Less constraining! More Compelling! I'm curious to see exactly what that looks and feels like as "literature."
"literary works created with the use of a computer for the electronic medium such that they cannot be experienced in any meaningful way without the mediation of an electronic device"
So...if I'm understanding this...they are saying that it is the electronic device that needs to add a new level or dimension to consumption of the literature in order for it to be e-lit. An e-book..is just a book on a kindle. But a device must play a part in enhancing the story in order for it to be e-lit.
Hypertext fiction and poetry, on and off the Web Kinetic poetry presented in Flash and using other platforms Computer art installations which ask viewers to read them or otherwise have literary aspects Conversational characters, also known as chatterbots Interactive fiction Novels that take the form of emails, SMS messages, or blogs Poems and stories that are generated by computers, either interactively or based on parameters given at the beginning Collaborative writing projects that allow readers to contribute to the text of a work Literary performances online that develop new ways of writing
Interesting that while most of these examples are generic types (e.g., interactive fiction), the list includes one proprietary authoring tool (Adobe Flash) and conspicuously leaves out others (Hypercard, Storyspace). I guess this just speaks to the enduring popularity or influence of Flash-based e-lit within the community, even though it’s being rapidly superseded by other forms.
The list also feels dated. Is that just a reflection of how mutable and experimental electronic literature is? What about e-lit released as an iOS app, for instance (something like Tender Claws’ Pry, which uses a gestural vocabulary that “meaningfully relates to the reading process” http://bit.ly/1D4ydDF )? Or e-lit authored using the Arduino platform or other microcontrollers? Are Jie Qi’s electronic pop-up books a form of e-lit? http://highlowtech.org/?p=5
The confrontation with technology at the level of creation is what distinguishes electronic literature from, for example, e-books, digitized versions of print works, and other products of print authors “going digital.”
This seems a key point--creation, not just dissemination.
Literary performances online that develop new ways of writi
This seems fairly vague. What kind of performances? What new ways?
Those wondering why electronic literature is relatively unknown in a larger context may want to read the essay, "Electronic Literature: Where Is It?" by Dene Grigar, aimed as a companion to Hayles' essay. It suggests that differences in cognitive patterns between print and electronic works, assumptions of what constitutes the quality of "literariness," and even requirements for tenure and promotion contribute to its lack of presence in the academy. Additionally, Grigar further argues that as video games and other popular culture digital media forms mainstream into the academy, so too will Electronic Literature. Students inculcated from birth by digital media will ultimately be the final arbiters of its popularity and growth. The call to action found at the end of the essay has given rise to this Electronic Literature exhibit at the MLA 2012 Convention.
This seems a key difference between the definitions. The MLA discussion takes into account social context and differences between US and European definitions. In a way, I like it much more, because it also connects this definition to the larger discourses about "what makes something literary"--and how that is influenced by forces outside the academy, not just within it.