1.
Scott Rettberg and the ELO cite the definition of electronic literature as, “Works with important literary
aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the standalone or networked
computer.” This definition, though slightly vague, manages to convey that electronic literature allows
writing to have more connections and helps people to share the thoughts and works of others and/or
publish their own writing in creative ways online. E-Lit relies on computers to
express their message because they use links or have collaborative capabilities that are not accessible
if the work were to be printed. A quote that stood out to me in Hayles’ article was, “To see electronic
literature only through the lens of print is, in a significant sense, not to see it at all.” This statement is
important because it embodies the uniqueness of this form of writing. At first I was unsure of what e-lit
was but while reading through the first chapter of Rettberg’s Electronic Literature, I came to the
realization that electronic literature is all around us. I noticed that a form of e-lit is named as,
“collaborative writing projects that allow readers to contribute to the text of a work” and instantly I thought
of those Mad-Lib books where you can write in whatever words you want to complete a story.
aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the standalone or networked
computer.” This definition, though slightly vague, manages to convey that electronic literature allows
writing to have more connections and helps people to share the thoughts and works of others and/or
publish their own writing in creative ways online. E-Lit relies on computers to
express their message because they use links or have collaborative capabilities that are not accessible
if the work were to be printed. A quote that stood out to me in Hayles’ article was, “To see electronic
literature only through the lens of print is, in a significant sense, not to see it at all.” This statement is
important because it embodies the uniqueness of this form of writing. At first I was unsure of what e-lit
was but while reading through the first chapter of Rettberg’s Electronic Literature, I came to the
realization that electronic literature is all around us. I noticed that a form of e-lit is named as,
“collaborative writing projects that allow readers to contribute to the text of a work” and instantly I thought
of those Mad-Lib books where you can write in whatever words you want to complete a story.
2.
Kinetic poetry is listed in Rettberg’s Electronic Literature as an example of electronic literature. I took an
intro to poetry class last semester but could not recall what kinetic poetry was (or if we even went over it
in class) so I googled the term and came across a website for an exhibit titled Moving Words which was
showcased in the National University of Ireland in 2014. It was curated by Dene Grigar and displayed
works of kinetic poetry and prose created from 1984-2014.
intro to poetry class last semester but could not recall what kinetic poetry was (or if we even went over it
in class) so I googled the term and came across a website for an exhibit titled Moving Words which was
showcased in the National University of Ireland in 2014. It was curated by Dene Grigar and displayed
works of kinetic poetry and prose created from 1984-2014.
Maddie Ireland
Yes, mad libs! And we'll be looking at kinetic, generated, and collaborative works this semester (also making some...in a couple of weeks a mad-libs-esque love letter generator). Nice find with Moving Words (Dene is the former president of the ELO)! Might be some interesting pieces there for the analysis essay.
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