What is e-lit? Why should we read it? Write it?

E-lit has been defined by the Electronic Literature Organization as “works with important literary aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computers”. I personally prefer to refer to electronic literature as any work of literature that would not be possible without its corresponding contemporary digital context. This definition was provided in Electronic Literature by Scott Rettberg and I believe it is a more inclusive definition. For example, the paragraph-sized posts I make to my finsta account on instagram may not necessarily contain proper spelling, grammar, or literary aspects, however I still consider them e-lit. Rettberg also argues that the most important reason to read e-lit is because “the study of these works provide us with opportunities to consider what is happening to our situation within a world increasingly mediated by digital technology” (Rettberg 18). I would like to disagree with Rettberg. I believe that the most important reason to read e-lit is to better connect with our fellow people. Rettberg states that electronic literature may be used to teach “new ways of understanding digital culture” and I believe that this statement could be broadened to instead state that electronic literature may be used to teach new ways of understanding culture in general.  In a world where everything changes overnight, people have more access than ever to various opinions and viewpoints which were previously inaccessible to them. It is far easier to circulate an online article than a paper copy.

The first chapter of Electronic Literature discusses genre. I found the words of Jacques Derrida, particularly interesting, “...as soon as a genre announces itself, one must respect a norm, one must cross a line of demarcation, one must not risk impurity, anomaly, or monstrosity”. Jacques Derrida further discusses the topic of genre in his essay “The Law of Genre”. He opens the essay with the lines “Genres are not to be mixed. I will not mix genres”. He then goes on to explain how these sentences can be interpreted differently to represent various tones and meaning, as well as genres. He appears to contradict himself but then claims that it is in fact the reader confusing themselves because genre is not truly as juxtaposed as one may believe. Instead, Derrida believes that different genres instead serve in the following way: “the other a citation to appear in the figure of the other”. This statement argues the genres need one another to distinguish themselves and therefore, there are no clear limits between one another. Rettberg uses this idea as well, and explains how e-lit is very difficult to group into specific, traditional genre categories because most e-lit creations are their own unique blend of preexisting genre standards, therefore leading to entirely new genres. Accessibility is one reason why it is important to write e-lit, however is also equally important to acknowledge all of the new works which have been and will be produced through the creative freedom which e-lit provides.  

http://mission17.org/documents/Derrida_LawOfGenre.pdf (The Law of Genre)

Sabrina Brown