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Electronic Literature

ENGL 074.910
instructor(s):
TR 3-4:30 pm

This is an ONLINE COURSE. The course syllabus, directions,
and materials will be posted to an online course website. Students
will be expected to access the documents at this course site and
participate regularly in the online forum as well as interactive live
discussions at the meeting times listed.  Technology requirements may
be found at: //http://online.sas.upenn.edu// Is there a fundamental
difference between literature on the page and literature on the screen?
This online course will help you to answer that question by introducing you
to the emergent literary genre of electronic literature. Strictly speaking,
e-literature must be created on a computer (born-digital), and readable
only on a computer. This is because e-literature tends to employ
hyperlinks, interactive virtual environments, and/or multimedia. In its
innovative understanding of what a “text” can be, e-literature offers a
unique set of problems for readers. For example, some e-literature can only
be viewed on certain platforms, viruses can affect the work, and it is
often necessary to examine code in order to fully understand a work. This
course seeks to demystify the genre of e-literature by introducing you to a
range of e-literatures, including video poems, interactive fiction, and
kinetic poetry. To help us understand these texts, we will also read works
by media theorists such as N. Katherine Hayles and Lev Manovich. No prior
knowledge of electronic literature is required and all course materials
will be made available online.
 

fulfills requirements
Sector 6: 20th Century Literature of the Standard Major