Electronic Literature

by Scott Rettberg

Electronic Literature  considers new forms and genres of writing that exploit the capabilities of computers and networks – literature that would not be possible without the contemporary digital context. In this book, Rettberg places the most significant genres of electronic literature in historical, technological, and cultural contexts. These include combinatory poetics, hypertext fiction, interactive fiction (and other game-based digital literary work), kinetic and interactive poetry, and networked writing based on our collective experience of the Internet. He argues that electronic literature demands to be read both through the lens of experimental literary practices dating back to the early twentieth century and through the specificities of the technology and software used to produce the work. Considering electronic literature as a subject in totality, this book provides a vital introduction to a dynamic field that both reacts to avant-garde literary and art traditions and generates new forms of narrative and poetic work particular to the twenty-first century. It is essential reading for students and researchers in disciplines including literary studies, media and communications, art, and creative writing.

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2018

Reviews

[iisabellllle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really accessible introduction to the field of electronic literature, including an essay by the prominent digital literary author Shelley Jackson, and academic work by others in the field. It provides a helpful all-encompassing technological, historical and literary account of digital literature forms like Hypertext fiction, and signposts other authors and papers in the field for further reading.

[AlfredHSimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for class

It was good- though sometimes a bit dry. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. By varying sentence length or paragraph sizes or not relying so heavily on other sources it could have been an easier read. The author has a good voice, so the heavy reliance of other authors took away from that (though is entirely understandable).