Electronic literature
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| - | *[[Electronic literature]] | + | '''Electronic literature''' is a [[literary genre]] consisting of works of [[literature]] that originate within [[Digital electronics|digital]] environments. |
| - | ==Contemporary architecture== | + | ==Definitions== |
| - | :''[[contemporary architecture]], [[postmodern architecture]]'' | + | [[N. Katherine Hayles]] discusses the topic in the online article [http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html Electronic Literature: What Is It]. She argues in her 2008 text ''Electronic Literature'' that, "electronic literature, generally considered to exclude print literature that has been digitized, is by contrast 'digital born,' and (usually) meant to be read on a computer." Hayles also cites the definition offered by the [[Electronic Literature Organization]] (ELO) as, "work with an important literary aspect that takes advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer." <ref name=EL/> |
| - | '''Contemporary architecture''' is the architecture being made at the present time. It also includes that of the last few decades, from the 1980s to the present. | + | |
| - | ===Topics in contemporary architecture=== | + | On its official website, the ELO offers this additional definition of electronic literature as consisting of works which are: |
| - | *[[Blobitecture]] | + | |
| - | *[[Computer aided design]] | + | |
| - | *[[Critical Regionalism]] | + | |
| - | *[[Deconstructivism]] | + | |
| - | *[[Sustainable design]] | + | |
| - | *[[High-tech architecture]] | + | |
| - | *[[Modern architecture|Modernism]] | + | |
| - | *[[Novelty architecture]] | + | |
| - | *[[Postmodern architecture|Postmodernism]] | + | |
| - | *[[Conceptual architecture]] | + | |
| - | ==Contemporary art== | + | * [[Hypertext fiction]] and [[Digital poetry|poetry]], on and off the Web |
| - | :''[[21st century art]], [[contemporary art]], [[postmodern art]]'' | + | * Kinetic poetry presented in [[Adobe Flash|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 [[email]]s, [[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 | ||
| - | *[[Pluralism]] | + | * Literary performances online that develop new ways of writing. |
| - | *[[Relational art]] | + | |
| - | *[[Sound art]] | + | |
| - | *[[Street art]] | + | |
| - | *[[Stuckism]] | + | |
| - | ==Contemporary philosophy== | + | |
| - | :''[[filmosophy]], [[anti-philosophy]], [[Slavoj Žižek]], [[twentieth-century French philosophy]]'' | + | |
| - | '''Contemporary philosophy''' in the Western world, for the sake of brevity and for the purposes of this article, is defined as themes and projects in the [[history of philosophy]] conducted within the last four decades. In addition to classical problems in philosophy, scientific and technological achievements and socio-political developments in world events have introduced new problems and ideas for philosophical debate. | + | |
| - | ===Postmodern philosophy=== | + | ==Preserving and Archiving Electronic Literature== |
| - | [[Postmodern philosophy]] is a new and complex trend of thought. Beginning as a critique of Continental philosophy, it was heavily influenced by phenomenology, structuralism and existentialism, including the writings of [[Søren Kierkegaard]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], and [[Martin Heidegger]]. It was also influenced to some degree by the later [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]]'s criticisms of traditional philosophy, including earlier analytic philosophy. Postmodern philosophy is skeptical of many of the values and bases of analytic philosophy; for instance a postmodernist might disavow that the complex system of meanings embodied in normal or philosophical language could be represented in logical annotation (some might even disavow any traditional notion of "meaning" altogether). | + | |
| - | ===Contemporary philosophers=== | + | Electronic literature, according to [[Hayles]], becomes unplayable after a decade or less due to the "fluid nature of media." Therefore, electronic literature risks losing the opportunity to build the "traditions associated with print literature." On the other hand, classics such as [[Michael Joyce]]'s [[afternoon, a story]] (1987) are still read and have been republished on CD, while simple HTML hypertext fictions from the 1990s are still accessible online and can be read in modern browsers. |
| - | *[[Alain Badiou]] | + | Several organizations are dedicated to preserving works of electronic literature. The UK-based [[Digital Preservation Coalition]] aims to preserve digital resources in general, while the Electronic Literature Organization's PAD (Preservation / Archiving / Dissemination) initiative gave recommendations on how to think ahead when writing and publishing electronic literature, as well as how to migrate works running on defunct platforms to current technologies <ref>Montfort, Nick and Noah Wardrip-Fruin [http://www.eliterature.org/pad/afb.html "Acid-Free Bits: Recommendations for Long-Lasting Electronic Literature"]. The Electronic Literature Organization, 2004.</ref><ref>Alan Liu, David Durand, Nick Montfort, Merrilee Proffitt, Liam R. E. Quin, Jean-Hugues Réty, and Noah Wardrip-Fruin. [http://www.eliterature.org/pad/bab.html "2005 |
| - | *[[Jean-Luc Nancy]] | + | “Born-Again Bits: A Framework for Migrating Electronic Literature”]. Electronic Literature Organization, 2005.</ref>. |
| - | *[[Peter Sloterdijk]] | + | |
| - | *[[Ken Wilber]] | + | |
| - | *[[Slavoj Žižek]] | + | |
| - | ===Popular philosophy=== | + | The Electronic Literature Collection is a series of anthologies of electronic literature published by the [[Electronic Literature Organization]], both on CD/DVD and online, and this is another strategy in working to make sure that electronic literature is available to future generations. |
| - | Philosophy has re-entered popular culture through the work of authors such as [[Alain de Botton]]. This trend is reinforced by the recent increase in films with philosophical content. Some films, such as ''[[Fight Club (film)|Fight Club]]'', ''[[eXistenZ]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'' trilogy, ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]'', and ''[[Waking Life]]'' have philosophical themes underpinning their overarching plots. Other films attempt to be overtly philosophical, such as ''[[I ♥ Huckabees]]''. | + | |
| - | A number of philosophers have also increasingly drawn on film rather than literature to illustrate philosophical and theoretical views. [[Slavoj Žižek]] illustrates some contemporary philosophy concepts in his film documentary ''[[The Pervert's Guide to Cinema]]''. | + | ==Notable people and works== |
| + | {{main|List of electronic literature authors, critics, and works}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | There are a number of notable authors, critics, and works associated with electronic literature. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | *[[Jay David Bolter|Bolter, Jay David]]. ''Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print, Second Edition''. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. | ||
| + | *---. ''Remediation: Understanding New Media.'' Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999. | ||
| + | *Ciccoricco, David. ''Reading Network Fiction.'' Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2007. | ||
| + | *Hansen, Mark B. N. ''Bodies in Code: Interfaces With Digital Media.'' Routledge, 2006. | ||
| + | *---. ''New Philosophy For New Media.'' Cambridge:MIT Press, 2004. | ||
| + | * [[N. Katherine Hayles|Hayles, N. Katherine]]. ''Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary.'' Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008. | ||
| + | *---. ''My Mother Was a Computer: Digital Subjects and Literary Texts.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. | ||
| + | *---. ''Writing Machines.'' Cambridge: MIT Press, 2002. | ||
| + | *[[George Landow (professor)|Landow, George]].''Hypertext 3.0 : Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)'', 2005 | ||
| + | *---.''Hypertext 2.0 : The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)'', 1997 | ||
| + | *---.''Hypertext : The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)'', 1991 | ||
| + | *---.''Hyper/Text/Theory'', 1994 | ||
| + | * [[Lev Manovich|Manovich, Lev]].''The Language of New Media'', [[MIT Press]], Cambridge Mass, USA, 2001. | ||
| + | * Pressman, Jessica. "The Strategy of Digital Modernism: Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries' Dakota," ''Modern Fiction Studies'' 54(2); 302-26. | ||
| + | * [[Stuart Moulthrop|Moulthrop, Stuart]]. ''[http://www.iath.virginia.edu/pmc/text-only/issue.591/moulthro.591 You Say You Want a Revolution: Hypertext and the Laws of Media].'' ''Postmodern Culture'', v.1 n.3 (May, 1991). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Cybertext]] | ||
| + | *[[The Digital Humanities]] | ||
| + | *[[Hypermedia]] | ||
| + | *[[Hypertext fiction]] | ||
| - | ===See also=== | ||
| - | *[[20th-century philosophy]] | ||
| - | *[[Deconstruction]] | ||
| - | *[[Postanalytic philosophy]] | ||
| - | *[[Poststructuralism]] | ||
| - | *''[[The Pervert's Guide to Cinema]]'' | ||
| - | *[[Collapse (journal)]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 18:50, 6 December 2009
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Electronic literature is a literary genre consisting of works of literature that originate within digital environments.
Contents |
Definitions
N. Katherine Hayles discusses the topic in the online article Electronic Literature: What Is It. She argues in her 2008 text Electronic Literature that, "electronic literature, generally considered to exclude print literature that has been digitized, is by contrast 'digital born,' and (usually) meant to be read on a computer." Hayles also cites the definition offered by the Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) as, "work with an important literary aspect that takes advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer." <ref name=EL/>
On its official website, the ELO offers this additional definition of electronic literature as consisting of works which are:
- 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.
Preserving and Archiving Electronic Literature
Electronic literature, according to Hayles, becomes unplayable after a decade or less due to the "fluid nature of media." Therefore, electronic literature risks losing the opportunity to build the "traditions associated with print literature." On the other hand, classics such as Michael Joyce's afternoon, a story (1987) are still read and have been republished on CD, while simple HTML hypertext fictions from the 1990s are still accessible online and can be read in modern browsers.
Several organizations are dedicated to preserving works of electronic literature. The UK-based Digital Preservation Coalition aims to preserve digital resources in general, while the Electronic Literature Organization's PAD (Preservation / Archiving / Dissemination) initiative gave recommendations on how to think ahead when writing and publishing electronic literature, as well as how to migrate works running on defunct platforms to current technologies <ref>Montfort, Nick and Noah Wardrip-Fruin "Acid-Free Bits: Recommendations for Long-Lasting Electronic Literature". The Electronic Literature Organization, 2004.</ref><ref>Alan Liu, David Durand, Nick Montfort, Merrilee Proffitt, Liam R. E. Quin, Jean-Hugues Réty, and Noah Wardrip-Fruin. [http://www.eliterature.org/pad/bab.html "2005 “Born-Again Bits: A Framework for Migrating Electronic Literature”]. Electronic Literature Organization, 2005.</ref>.
The Electronic Literature Collection is a series of anthologies of electronic literature published by the Electronic Literature Organization, both on CD/DVD and online, and this is another strategy in working to make sure that electronic literature is available to future generations.
Notable people and works
-
There are a number of notable authors, critics, and works associated with electronic literature.
References
- Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print, Second Edition. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001.
- ---. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999.
- Ciccoricco, David. Reading Network Fiction. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2007.
- Hansen, Mark B. N. Bodies in Code: Interfaces With Digital Media. Routledge, 2006.
- ---. New Philosophy For New Media. Cambridge:MIT Press, 2004.
- Hayles, N. Katherine. Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008.
- ---. My Mother Was a Computer: Digital Subjects and Literary Texts. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
- ---. Writing Machines. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2002.
- Landow, George.Hypertext 3.0 : Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society), 2005
- ---.Hypertext 2.0 : The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society), 1997
- ---.Hypertext : The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society), 1991
- ---.Hyper/Text/Theory, 1994
- Manovich, Lev.The Language of New Media, MIT Press, Cambridge Mass, USA, 2001.
- Pressman, Jessica. "The Strategy of Digital Modernism: Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries' Dakota," Modern Fiction Studies 54(2); 302-26.
- Moulthrop, Stuart. You Say You Want a Revolution: Hypertext and the Laws of Media. Postmodern Culture, v.1 n.3 (May, 1991).
See also
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Electronic literature" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
