Electronic Literature Capítulo Dos

In Chapter 2 of Electronic Literature by Scott Rettberg, the focus was on Combinatory Poetics. This was stated to be the oldest type of electronic literature, although people think first about "hypertext fiction" (Rettberg 20). One of the most interesting part of the creation of Combinatory Poetics is that it has a history in human representation. With technological advancements, it often seems like new innovations arise naturally and without an agenda. Yet, Combinatory Poetics is reflected in the rise of the dadaists. It is interesting that the Dada poem, originally print poems, could lead to electronic poem generation. From the chapter, the most intriguing part was the relationship between poetic form and frequency (50). The way in which the poems are made becomes more of an arrangement. This being said, that means that the poem is limited to the words and frequencies within the poem. Thinking futuristically, if computers were able to create complete books and unique poems from analysing past work, then wouldn't those poems and books lose their emotion? If a poem is good and fun no matter where it comes from, then what is the difference between what computers might be able to do in the future and the poets themselves? The idea of electronic poems created by computers feels fake and at least in Dadas, the words are arranged more at the hand of the person, metaphorically and literally.

For a research topic, I looked into Janco Marcel, mentioned as the creator of wooden masks connected to the Dada artists. The masks were made out of cardboard, paint and glue (The Art Story). They were intended to be worn by dancers in the fashion of gas masks which the dada artists disagreed with (The Art Story). I liked how these masks are as creative and insightful and the dada poems themselves. There is a similarity in creating disfigured art to create a new kind of voice.
The Art Story: Janco Marcel

-J!ll!an