This week’s readings have to do with electronic literature, which is 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 computer” (ELO, 2006, n.p.). Examples of e-literature are available here.

Hayles (2007) provides an overview of the development of e-literature through the past twenty years and attempts to identify some of the genre’s inherent features. Douglas (1992, 1994) speaks to the peculiarities of reading e-literature, considering in particular what Hayles refers to as “first-generation” examples of the genre such as hypertext fiction. She also alludes to some of the print harbingers of e-literature, such as the short fiction of Borges. Douglas’s essays are updated and published in a collection of articles on hypermedia and literature: The End of Books—Or Books Without End? (Douglas, 2000). My own article (Dobson, 2006) considers contemporary fiction (e.g., Munro) that shares narrative features in common with e-literature, and ponders how we might approach teaching such narrative through engaging students in social media writing processes.

I invite your thoughts on topics raised in this week’s readings. Alternately, you may wish to try your hand (along with your classmates) at writing a collaborative hypertext fiction in the wiki rather than making a formal response on the blog. I’ve started a wiki page for this purpose here. Feel free to modify or extend this narrative fragment in any way you see fit.