Category
Not only is E-Lit a distinct literary category. E-lit itself is an umbrella term of a wide range of literary genres that was briefly discussed by N. Katherine Hayles in her article "Electronic Literature: What is it?". Hayles gives a quick overview of some of the literary categories found in Electronic Literature. Some of the genres that intrigued me are:
Hypertext fiction: Considered the "classical, first-generation" genre of Electronic literature. Basically a story in which the reader is given the ability to click on hypertext, which in turn would affect the outcome of the narrative. Similar to what we're doing with this wiki in a way, with the usage of links, but I suppose the hypertext fiction was driven by narrative and less chaotic than what this will be after everyone turns in their discussions. Some examples of Hypertext Fiction would include afternoon: a story by Michael Joyce and Shelly Jackson's Patchwork Girl
Flash Poems: A personal favorite of mine and perhaps a direct opposite of the hypertext fiction. Unlike the hypertext fiction, the reader is not given a choice -- there is little to no interaction with the work and the reader. Instead, what one gets with a flash poem is a bombardment of visual, musical, and literary qualities all packed into one work. In a way, when one reads a flash poem they are overwhelmed because there is so much going on with the visuals, the poetry and the accompanying music. Moreover, the reader does not even have a say in how fast they must read, as the writer of the flash poem decides that for you. The best example of flash poem would be the works by young hae chang heavy industries -Bliss
What are words? What do they mean? How do we assign them meaning? We place them into categories that represent our world.
