Week 2: Combinatory Poetics
Scott Rettberg’s take on combinatory poetics shows how digital literature pushes the limits of what storytelling can be. Instead of a fixed, finished piece of writing, these works are constantly shifting, shaped by algorithms, randomness, and sometimes even the reader’s choices. It’s an interesting blend of creativity and computation, where something like Taroko Gorge keeps generating new poetry indefinitely, and The Policeman’s Beard is Half-Constructed challenges our ideas of what "writing" even means. By building on experimental traditions like Oulipo and Dadaism, combinatory poetics forces us to rethink authorship and creativity in the digital age. This chapter is extremely relevant in a world where ChatGTP and AI are taking over. As technology keeps evolving, this kind of literature will only get more interesting, blurring the lines between human and machine storytelling. What makes us human and how is that portrayed in writing? Can we tell the difference? Only time will tell.
I decided to explore Taroko Gorge. Below are two examples of stanzas randomly generated by the program. I found that it was quite repetitive with similar nature nouns and verbs moved around randomly. So, while the idea behind the program and the never ending poem is quite interesting, I think with the addition of more words and a more complex algorithm, it could be even better.
"Brows trail the flows./Basins hold./Shapes hold./Stone sweeps the cove."
Glad you brought up Taroko Gorge! Montfort (who also remediated STrachey's Love Letters), is the generated poetry guru of e-lit. How about we tinker with them next week and you can make your own? :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea behind Taroko Gorge as well! I agree it could be better, but it is still an engaging work. It is interesting to look at in terms of its place in the development of this genre of electronic literature.
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