Week 8: Divergent Streams

 The final chapter of Electronic Literature discusses the miscellaneous forms of digital lit. These smaller genres are more immersive, allowing the interactor to engage with the narrative on a deeper level. Locative narratives let interactors connect text and images with locations, adding to the narrative in ways that readers can relate to and immerse themselves in. Rettberg talks about Implementation, the piece that I looked at for last week's blog post. He claims, “In this case the core technology was as simple as adhesive labels. The locative element was in the choice of the participant readers on where to physically place the stickers and thus frame the narrative segments,” (Rettberg 185). In adding physical location to a piece, creators can engage interactors on a different level. As Rettberg and Montford do in Implementation, having interactors place stickers in different locations, allowing them to shape the narrative based on where they choose to place their sticker. Rettberg also talks about different interactive installations, giving people the chance to interact with a text physically. This allows interactors to connect with the narrative on a deeper level, while also reaching a broader audience, as more people may be able to relate to and connect with the text if it is more sensation based. 

In the last few pages, Rettberg wraps up the book by talking a little bit more about electronic literature as a whole. One quote that stuck out to me was, “....electronic literature is not about replacing print literary culture, it is instead about extending storytelling and poetics to the contemporary digital environment and creating literary experiences specific to this cultural moment.” I think this quote does a good job summing up the purpose of digital lit, which is something I’ve been mildly confused about in reading this book and experiencing different forms of e-lit.

I looked at Text Rain by Romy Achituv and Camille Utterback. The installation has participants stand in front of white screen which shows an image of them, as if they were looking in a mirror. They can then play with and move letters that fall from the top of the screen, though the letters don’t really exist. The letters moved, scooped, and pooled, as if they were water droplets, and interactors can even move them around to create words. Though the installation doesn't have a specific narrative associated with it, I find it interesting that it can be of interest to anyone. It is a piece of electronic literature that does not need to be thought about or understood, meaning it appeals to a wide variety of different people. It is also not language specific, as there are installments in museums all over the world. This allows for more people to be able to interact with the piece, which is often not the case in many works of digital lit.