Introduction To My Interpretation of Electronic Literature By Jason Flamm

1. Introduction To My Interpretation of Electronic Literature By Jason Flamm For the purpose of this piece, the author chose to utilize different genres of electronic literature in hopes of creating an understanding of the multiple genres of e-literature that a reader could expect to find. The ultimate goal of the piece was to be interactive. This should show in the Letter to the “Navigator” on Slide 2. For this, the reader assumes the role of the “navigator” and the author the role of the “Creator” in an attempt to create a relationship between the two. The piece itself is meant to be navigated through links, much like hypertext, in E-literature. The author also utilizes different techniques throughout the piece such as the “cut-up method” with the poem Where the Sidewalk Ends. It is not explained in the piece itself, but better yet, understood. The author also attempted to create a sort of game with the hallways leading to the campfire set of slides. The interactivity allows for choices by the navigator that allows him to go forwards, backwards, and even sideways until he reaches his destination. It begins with the “What the FAQ” section that is meant to be a fun interactive piece much like Richard Holeton’s “Frequently Asked Questions…” work. It resembles a bit of conversation between the “Navigator (N)” and the “Creator (C)” but also provides links to works of e-literature that the authorfelt suitable for the navigator to explore in order to become more familiar with E-literature. Another attempt was made by the author to create the simple-to-abstract sense that e-literature possesses and hopes that it resounds throughout the piece. The author was inspired by this quote: “It is not an uninterrupted, expository monologue nor a seamless narrative nor a collection of poems.” by Tom Romano. He hopes that the attempt to be artistic and have fun with electronic literature shines through with the piece. DIRECTIONS

2. DIRECTIONS FOR NAVIGATING THIS PIECE This piece is not meant to be linear like a slide show would be. Due to formatting of it in a slideshow, it is possible to mistakenly press “next” when the purpose of the slide itself may have been for you to go back or forward multiple slides at a time. Within each slide is a LINK or two. Those links are meant to be used as navigation tools to help you through the piece. The author asks that you utilize those, as opposed to clicking “Slideshow” at the bottom of the screenwhich would simply set them off in a timed linear fashion. “Reading view” is a much better utilized way to experience this work. It may be beneficial to navigate the piece more than once, if you feel you missed out on a few slides due to your choices. If read through linearly, you will not get the full understanding of the piece. Certain slides such as Slide 3 or Slide 9 are meant to be used as benchmarks or “new chapters” that allows the navigator to choose his/her own path onto the next set of slides. BEGIN: Letter to the Navigator

3. Dear Navigator, You’ve chosen to explore my piece of work… I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. More importantly, neither do you. What we do know, for certain, is that you are here – doing just that. I guess I should thank you. So, Thank you. I guess you should be warned before you move much further as to exactly what you are getting yourself into. This work is meant to explore the world of electronic literature. If you aren’t sure what that is, you may want to turn away now. For soon you will be transplanted into a world unlike what you are used to and the confusion and dread it could cause may be too much for you to handle. It’s okay. I’ll wait while you exit my material----------. O, brave soul. Well, let’s proceed then. I will do my best to explain to you what you should expect. I will tell you what my goals and processes for this piece were. Hopefully, that may prevent you from taking a leap into the abyss of madness that this type of work can cause. It’s inherently frustrating and the intrinsically designed aggravation may change your worldview… As it did mine. I will start you off slowly in my work. The world of “hyper text” is suitable for this. Well, some of it... I should say. Works such as Frequently Asked Questions About Hypertext, by Richard Holeton, in which there is a linear text and you could navigate it much the same way you would any book or website. There are links that you may or may not choose to use and there is a beginning and an end to the piece. Along similar but a bit more complicated lines is Shelley Jackson’s my body – a Wunderkammer. In this piece, you get to feed yourself with a bit of abstractness and choose different paths that eventually all lead to the same stories. As you delve deeper into my work you will begin to notice a change. It may seem sudden. Much like the world of Deep Surface, by Stuart Moulthrop where you are literally throwing yourself into the abyss and the deeper you go the harder it is to not only understand the text but also to get back to the top before running out of “air.” Life is complex and so should your literature be. Carry on navigator. Carry on. Best, Jason Flamm – The Creator

4. What the FAQ? What the FAQ 1: What the FAQ? What the FAQ 2: FAQ THIS What the FAQ 3: FAQ YOU What the FAQ 4: FAQ THAT What the FAQ 5: FAQ FOR FAQ’s SAKE

5. What the FAQ? Creator: The point of this FAQ is to simply ask what the FAQ is electronic literature anyways? Navigator: You mean it’s not the simple fact that I’m reading literature on an electronic device. C: [facepalm] Pay attention. Electronic literature can best be defined by this work by N. Katherine Hayles: Electronic Literature: What is it? N: I have to follow a link for a description? C: OR if you want to be lazy, here is how I would define it: Electronic literature is a piece of literature that is meant to be used interactively by a user or a reader through a digitized device, such as the internet and a computer. It is not possible to create these works through traditional means, such as books or magazines because of the very nature that is electronic literature. E- literature includes but is not limited to genres such as hypertext, games, stir fry texts, animated poetry, computer art, and many more. One of my peers described Electronic literature as, “Interactive drama, available in many language varieties, takes the reader on a journey where you can click on what you think may happen next, but in the end, the same result happens. Electronic literature is definitely a far cry from being used to just picking up a book and reading it. You cannot click links in a print book, just continue to read. Also, Glazier does make a good point in saying that electronic literature is a continuation of experimental print literature. Where there are limitations on what you can do with print literature, they are endless with electronic.” – Justin Hubbard FAQ 2: FAQ THIS

6. FAQ THIS Navigator: I’m already kind of over it. You just used a bunch of words, nothing really. What’s the point. Creator: Okay smartass. I thought I’d go a little slower. Let you ease into things and simply try to explain them. How about these works? Twelve Blue, by Michael Joyce FAQ YOU FAQ THAT Brain Strips, by Alan Bigelow

7. FAQ YOU Creator: Still don’t care? Navigator: No. I do. It’s interesting. C: Interesting is a word people use to describe fish flavored ice cream. You don’t care. N: I do. I guess I’m just ready to move on. C: Are you? N: Yes. OR N: No

8. FAQ THAT Creator: Check out this piece of electronic literature. Deep Surface, by Stuart Moulthrop Navigator: Shit. That was intense. C: Just like camping? N:What? C: Camping is in tents. N: Oh. I get it. C: So, do you have a better idea/sense (if you will) for electronic literature and what it could/might be? Yes OR NO

9. FAQ FOR FAQ’s Sake Creator: This FAQing FAQ was written in hopes of two things: 1) A chance to explore what electronic literature is/was/could be and 2… Navigator: A chance for you to say FUCK over and over. C: … Nobody likes a smartass. What would you like to do now? N: Start over. OR N: Move on.

10. E- Literature is Intense Incense In Sense In Tents Suspense Suspect Aspect Show’s Over – Go Home

11. The campfire smell is one that I take a lot of joy in. That joy, however, quickly fades once I’m no longer in front of the fire and I’m left with clothes that reek. In fact, I have to wash them three or four times to actually get that smell out of them. It’s interesting to me, how you can go from enjoying a smell while in the moment to not being able to stand the smell after that moment has passed. It’s embarrassing and very noticeable when you walk around with clothes on that smell like a campfire. You just can’t hide that smell. When I was younger and heavier, I would worry that my body odor was noticeable to everyone around me. I’ve always heard that if you can smell it, then other people definitely can. So, the moment I would start smelling myself in a day I would begin to worry and get self-conscious. This actually caused me to take a lot of showers throughout my life. Most boys fight to take a shower every day. Not me. I can’t remember going more than two days without showering. The fact that I was fat already made me stand out enough, I didn’t want more negative attention and to be made fun of because I stank on top of that. There is already a common thought that fat people stink. I remember times when I’d stand in a crowded space and be blamed for a fart or if someone around me smelled awful, it would automatically be assumed that it was me. At least, that’s what I led myself to believe. I don’t know if others felt that way, but I had decided that they must think it’s me, since I’m the “Stinky fat guy.” I never went camping very much. Most of the time I’d get smoke smell on me was from simply sitting next to a fire I created in my back yard. In 2012, after my divorce I would sit in the back yard, drinking, and listening to music while the fire blazed on. It was very calm and comforting. I wasn’t sad or depressed. I think it had been a long time since I had been left alone to enjoy an evening and so I did just that. Of course, it always ended abruptly when my roommate came home and immediately started bothering me or his kids would start running through the house. The moments of solace aren’t very often and those moments become even more brief as you get older I suppose.

12. goddamned

13. You’ve entered down a hallway – you can’t be sure where it goes. You start walking anyway. None of these doors will open for you. You go to the end of the hallway. Would you like to go Left Or Right?

14. Is this the hallway you came from? Is it possible for you to even know if that were the case? You don’t WANT to open any of these doors. It’s a dead end – or at least for someone it is. You remind yourself to go RIGHT next time.

15. Is it your imagination or are your eyes adjusting for something? It’s as if they know Where they are going, so they are preparing to take in more light. Yes. You are heading somewhere darker. No. You don’t have a choice. Continue… Or go back to the padded walls. I guess that is technically your choice.

16. “When a man is in despair, it means that he still believes in something.” ― Dmitri Shostakovich Would you like to continue or ball up In a corner to let other’s find you?

17. More light! One of these doors open. Open the door. Go back.

18. The first time you’ve been outside in months It seems surreal. You touch a flower – paint doesn’t rub off of it. It is real. Would you like to continue? Yes . No.

19. This looks promising. Your eyes Have completely adjusted. You miss the way the trees looked previously. But, it looks like something lies upon the end of The path ahead. Go.

20. It’s a campfire. You’re not sure Who or what made it. You decide this is too much. After all – you’re not a squatter. You decide to leave…

21. How about now?

22. Back

23. Where the Sidewalk Ends There is a place where the sidewalk endsAnd before the street begins,And there the grass grows soft and white,And there the sun burns crimson bright,And there the moon-bird rests from his flightTo cool in the peppermint wind.Let us leave this place where the smoke blows blackAnd the dark street winds and bends.Past the pits where the asphalt flowers growWe shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,And watch where the chalk-white arrows goTo the place where the sidewalk ends.Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,For the children, they mark, and the children, they knowThe place where the sidewalk ends. by ShelSilverstein Rearrange

24. Where the Sidewalk Ends Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow The place where the sidewalk ends. And the dark street winds and bends. And before the street begins, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know And there the sun burns crimson bright, And there the moon-bird rests from his flight To the place where the sidewalk ends. And watch where the chalk-white arrows go Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, To cool in the peppermint wind. There is a place where the sidewalk ends And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And there the grass grows soft and white We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, Rearranged by Random BackShow is over – Go Home

25. Samantha Matt Show is over Folks- Everyone go home.

26. “literature is much more than the just words. I think its huge and complicated, its a form of art and art is just the same with such a huge definition that you can not confine and limit it to one single thing. I would say if there was one simple definition to include all of what literature contains it would be that, literature is anything meant for the purpose of conveying a message of thought or feeling to any audience member engaged in the piece.” - Samantha Campbell

27. “I think literatures are bodies of works with multiple artistic values. Literature is not limited to the traditional definition of only being written work. Literature definitely extends out into the digital environments… The digital environment allows electronic literature to possess so many different qualities that traditional literature can’t which is why the two types of literature are different. “ - Matt Fisher

28. Navigator: Wait I think I missed something! OR Navigator: Thank you for showing me your work. Have a good life – or at least, I hope you had a Good life. Creator: Show is over. Go home.

29. Bigelow, Alan. Brainstrips. N.p: Blackbird 8:2. 2009. Web. Campbell, Samantha “Week 8 Discussion Board, Definition of Literature:Revisited” Blackboard. Saint Louis Community College. Web. 11. May 2014 Clynes, Michael. “The White Rose Murders” 43-07-06_The_White_Rose_Murders.MP3 Old Time Radio.   Web. N.p. 9. May 2014 URL:  https://archive.org/details/SUSPENSE Create Your Own Comic, Graphics. Interactive. Web. N.p. Marvel. 9. May 2014. URL http://marvel.com/games/play/34/create_your_own_comic Fisher, Matt “Week 8 Discussion Board, Definition of Literature: Revisited “ Blackboard.     Saint Louis Community College. Web. 11. May 2014 Hayles, Katherine. "Electronic Literature: What Is It?" Electronic Literature Organization.  Wordpress, 2 Jan. 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. <http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html>. Holeton, Richard. Frequently Asked Questions About Hypertext. N.p: Stanford. 2006. Web Hubbard, Justin “Week 2 Discussion Board, Genres Of Electronic Literature/Role of the Reader” Blackboard. Saint Louis Community College. Web. 25. March 2014 Jackson, Shelley. my body - a Wunderkammer. N.p.: Alt-X Online Network, 1997. Web. Joyce, Michael. Twelve Blue. N.p.: Eastgate Systems, 2007. Web. Moulthrop, Stuart. Deep Surface. N.p.: Ciutat de Vinaròs, 2007. Web. Shostakovich, Dmitri. Good Reads. Quote. Web. URL:    http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/despair Silverstein, Shel. “Where the Sidewalk Ends” Good Reads. Web. 9. May 2014 Images. Works Cited

30. Works Cited (cont’d) • Images: Taken from Web. Multiple publishers. Google Search “Tent photos,” “Hallway photos,” “Campfire,” and “woods”