Unit 1: Computational Writing

Overview

• Tuesday, May 26 - Introduction to Electronic Literature and Digital Writing
• Wednesday, May 27 - Combinatory Poetics and Distant Writing
• Thursday, May 28 – Bots and NaNoGenMo
• Monday, June 1 - Essay #1 Due

Tuesday, May 26 - Introduction to Electronic Literature and Digital Writing

In class:

• Introductions
• Discuss course Syllabus
• What is digital writing? What is digital literature?
• Electronic Literature: History and Genres
  • Pre-digital text generation:
    • Oral epic poetry (The Illiad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, etc):
      • Walter J. Ong Orality and Literacy: "formulaic thinking" included fixed expressions, thematic plotting, mnemonic structures, updated to fit cultural needs.
    • I Ching (1000-750 BC) (online version)
    • Artificial Versifying (1677) by John Peter (online version)
    • The Eureka (1830-1845) by John Clark
    • Explore "Surrealist Techniques" and "Oulipo" in Wikipedia
    • Cut Up:
      • Bryon Gysin "Cut Ups"
      • William Burroughs "The Cut Up Method"
      • Read 1-2 "Stir Fry Texts" by Jim Andrews
    • Cent Mille Milliards de Poèmes (1961) by Raymond Queneau
      • Watch brief video demo of book (in French)
      • Read several iterations of Magnus Bodin's Web implementation
  • Memory Slam poems

Assignment:

Read:

• Chapters 1 & 2 in Rettberg, Electronic Literature
• Nick Montfort, "Taroko Gorge" (context: "The Marble Canyons in Beautiful Taroko National Park, Taiwan")
• "White-Faced Bromeliads on 20 Hectares" by Loss Pequeño Glazier

Wednesday, May 27 - Computational Writing

In class:

• Chapters 1 & 2 in Electronic Literature
• Memory Slam poems
• Nick Montfort, "Taroko Gorge" (original) (remix versions)
• "White-Faced Bromeliads on 20 Hectares" by Loss Pequeño Glazier

Assignment:

• Read:
  • Nick Montfort, "A Platform Poetics: Computational Art, Material and Formal Specificities, and 101 Basic Poems (2013-)"
  • Explore Nick Montfort, Computational Poems & Related Digital Projects; read 2-3 of his poems.
  • Be prepared to present one of Nick Montfort's poems in class.
• Watch the "Distant Writing" lecture.
• Install Visual Studio Code on your computer.

Thursday, May 28 - Writing Writing Machines

In class:

• Discussion of Nick Montfort's computational poetry and poetics
• From ELIZA to GenAI: A Literary History of Bot-Making
• "Genre: Bot" in the ELC3
• NaNoGenMo
• Greg Kennedy's NaNoGenMo Roundups
• A Cyborg Digital Writing Primer

Assignment:

• Essay #1 due on Monday, June 1.
• Read:
  • Electronic Literature, Chapter 3
  • "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges
  • "As We May Think" by Vannebar Bush

Essay #1: Analysis and Interpretation of a Generative Work

Choose a work from the following list:

• Electronic Literature Collection, Volume 3: Generative or Bots
• Electronic Literature Collection, Volume 4 (type "generative" in the filter box)
• Any generative work published in Taper
• or any of the works assigned in this unit, including my list of artistic and literary bots, NaNoGenMo, and so on.

Parameters and Criteria:

• The essay should be about 1000 words (4 pages) in length.
• It should offer an interpretive thesis that is supported by detailed analysis of the work.
• When possible, include screen-captured images or video to support your essay.
• The essay should cite at least 2 secondary sources.
• The essay should be formatted in MLA or some other established format.
• This essay is due on Monday, June 1.