Other artists have come at it from the more familiar (at least in the community) angle emerging out of the flurry of interest in hypertext as a next step in the evolution of written language — the book is dead, long live the link
This article definitely tackles the definition as a true new wave. I try to view older technology too, but I think they might have a point.
It may seem surprising that the term “electronic literature” grows in popularity well before the establishment of the ELO in 1999. However, almost all uses of the term “electronic literature” before the late 1990s refer to research literature that happens to be in electronic form[1], not to literary works.
The internet became regularly accessible. I think this is why. Using the internet for studying and research became huge. Now that it's not just for work and for leisure, things are shifting.
Put simply, Electronic Literature is considered a "born digital" art form with unique approaches to thinking about and working with digital technologies for the purpose of creating literary art.
Yes. It's sort of amazing how old stories that were previously only produced with a printing press can be transferred electronically. Just yesterday I read Pride and Prejudice on my tablet. So does that mean Jane Austen is part of eLit? So many opinions flying everywhere.
Electronic literature often intersects with conceptual and sound arts, but reading and writing remain central to the literary arts. These activities, unbound by pages and the printed book, now move freely through galleries, performance spaces, and museums. Electronic literature does not reside in any single medium or institution.
Whenever I think of the "literary arts" I think of writing. I think of how technology is forever shifting and yet writing will always be needed. Where I am personally naive is how this passage states that there is more to it. This is where I grow curious, and where I realize that there is a bigger picture than I think we all tend to see. Should be interesting to delve further into this.