My Own Attempts to Create E-Poetry

In order to critique e-poetry, it's necessary to have some working knowledge of it and to experience the creation process yourself. This way, you will get a sense of what goes into it. It's just like anything else; you can never truly understand the effort put into something until you've attempted to do it yourself. Let's just say that I now have an immense appreciation for e-poetry and a great respect for the creators. My attempt to create e-poetry was anything but successful. For an hour and a half, I struggled with what to write about, what aspects of e-poetry to include, and learning how to apply those aspects. I don't have much to show for it either.

First of all, I'm not very creative when it comes to writing poetry nor am I very knowledgeable of how to work PowerPoint. I know the basics of putting together a presentation of information for a class but I've never had experience with the special effects so my e-poem was very basic and very literal. My title page was very basic and I wanted to convey a recurring theme of simplicity so everything is in lower case. In my next slide, I only put a few words on it that describe my hometown and I tried to use special effects that exemplified those words. I wanted to show how much I love my town so in my next slide when I referred to it as "a world of treasure" I changed the font to a prettier font to emphasize those words. I struggled with the next slide because I had many different entrances for each text and image and I couldn't figure out how to get them in the right order so that took up a good amount of time. It was definitely fun applying all the special effects but it was much more difficult than I had hoped because there were so many things I had to consider like timing, delay, sequence, duration, and whether it would begin with a click or begin on its own. It was a lot to think about for someone who's not so technologically savvy.

Not much of my e-poem was restricted to a digital version. I had trouble letting go of the "writing a poem" mindset that it really resembled a written poem with pictures that just happened to be on a computer screen. I'm well aware that I'm far from an e-poet, but I was frustrated that I couldn't create the same effect and emotions that I got from the poems we've read in class. It also bothered me that I was unable to inspire much thought with my poem because everything I included was so literal that thought was completely unnecessary. The only things that I was able to make more digital were the ways that I presented the images and the texts that went along with them because the way they entered and their special effects seemed to emphasize how I felt about each description. I could easily have gotten carried away with the special effects to the point where it just wouldn't apply to the meaning of the text if I had spent more time with it. However, I feel that I would be able to create something more thought-provoking if I had hand-written because I would be able to focus more on what the poem was about than trying to figure which elements would best enhance what I was trying to say. From this experience, I give props to the e-poets who have so successfully created electronic literature.

My Encounter with E-poetry out of Class

Once we finished going over the e-poems in class and were assigned to find some of our own, I was feeling very confident that I could find one and analyze it very well. Easier said than done. Finding an e-poem that was simple enough for a novice like me to interpret yet complex enough to show that I actually put effort into the assignment was no easy feat. I went through countless lists of e-poems that were either so involved that I wasn't sure what I was looking at or that were so simple that I wasn't sure how much I could even say about it. I wanted to enjoy reading it and also feel challenged to figure out what it could mean. Finally, I found one that I deemed suitable for my needs. I decided on "Strings" by Dan Waber (which can be found at the following URL: http://www.vispo.com/guests/DanWaber/index.html ).

In "Strings", there are different stages where the strings will transform into different words and move around the screen. In order, the stages are argument, argument2, flirt, flirt (cntd), haha, youandme, arms, and poidog. In argument, there is one string that rocks back and forth on the screen and as it goes from side to side it changes from the word "yes" to "no" until it finally falls flat again. In argument2, the word "maybe" is added and the words are randomly flying around the screen. In flirt, the word "no" floats across the screen and when it exits, it begins to transform into a new word but it is illegible. In flirt (cntd), the word "yes" just floats around, twirls, and gets larger at times. In haha, there is one string that resembles the one in argument because it rocks back and forth and as it reaches each side the word "ha" appears. Each time it rocks back and forth, more "has" appear on the string until the whole string is covered with "hahahahahahaha". The string finally goes flat. In youandme, the word "you" moves at a very slow and steady pace as the word "me" flies around aimlessly. In arms, the string transforms from the word "your" to "arms" to an open ring that twirls around to "me" before falling flat. In poidog, the string transforms from each word to form the sentence "words are like strings that I pull out of my mouth" and falls flat.

I believe that each stage of this poem represented different aspects of a relationship. In argument, the yes and no were so grounded and it was so back and forth that it reminded me of the fights in a relationship where it's impossible to sway the other's opinions. In argument2, it reminded me of the fights that aren't very substantial where neither side is very strong because the "yes" and "no" were just floating around and then "maybe" would enter the picture occasionally. In flirt, it reminded me of the beginning stages of flirting when one person is slightly reserved but then they open up to the flirting because it started out as "no" but then it progressed to an illegible word as if they were letting go of their reservations. In flirt (cntd), it seemed to resemble strong flirting because the word "yes" was the only word. It floated and twirled which reminded me of a person who was enjoying the flirting and was actively flirting back. In haha, I was reminded of the good times that are had in a relationship and how each person enjoys the other's company very much because the "ha" was going between both sides and grew to more "has" as it progressed. In youandme, the way that "you" was moving steadily along while "me" zipped all around "you" made me think of two things. I thought of relationships where the people have such completely opposite personalities but it works for them and they're ok with it. The other thing it reminded me of is how sometimes there is one person who is always putting more effort into the relationship than the other. In arms, when it changed from "your arms" to an open ring that circled around to "me", it made me think of how people feel safe, comfortable, and whole in the arms of their loved one. Finally in poidog, when it says "words are like strings that I pull out of my mouth" it made me think of when you're with someone that you're comfortable with, that you relate to really well, and that you feel a strong connection to, it's incredibly easy to talk to them and you feel like you'll never run out of things to say to each other.

This poem would be extremely confusing on a page because the way that the reader is able to interpret it has everything to do with the way the words move. There are no other elements other than the movements of the words but they make the poem what it is. If it was simply the words on a page, no one would be able to figure out the theme which is the different elements of a relationship. They might figure out that it had to do with two people but nothing else would make sense. Also, in the digital version it had titles of each element which, if presented on a page, might confuse the reader even further. I really enjoyed this poem in its electronic form because it was able to convey all the different elements of a relationship simply by moving and transforming a string. I was able to relate to each element simply because of the way it was presented and if it was on a piece of paper I wouldn't have understood it.

My Encounters with Electronic Poetry in Class

(I was unable to get the screenshots where I wanted them so that's why they're at the top of the post.)

With less than a month and only four classes in, we've already been exposed to several very interesting kinds of electronic poetry. We've looked at some that have been written first then adapted into a digital version. Some required us to move our mouse over the text in a certain way to view what the text said. Others simply started on their own and all we had to do was listen and watch the progression of images and text. Some where we had to fully participate and changed the text line by line or stanza by stanza as the images changed. Although they were all very unique in their presentation and what was required of the reader, they all managed to lead us to interpretations that we may not have come up with if we were reading the poem on a piece of paper. My favorite experience required little participation of the mouse but a good amount of interpretation. It was "Faith" by Robert Kendall.

"Faith" consisted of a combination of different fonts, different colors, sounds, and special effects. The first thing you see when "Faith" begins is the word "faith" at the top of the screen and it is a very ornate font in the color of orange. The word "logic" begins to fall from above it and bounces off of "faith" then falls down and disappears. Each time they hit the word "faith" there is a little pinging sound. One of them remains on the page and forms the beginning of the sentence "logic can't bend this". These words are a light orange and the font is very simple. A button appears at the bottom of the screen that says "So…" and once clicked, the next bunch of words of the poem are added to the ones already present on the screen. They reveal the sentence "I edge logic out. Can't the mind press on around the bend to consummate this vision of the deep "or"? As these words appear, light sounds play. These words are red. Another button appears at the bottom that says "Maybe. But…" Once clicked, words rearrange to form new words and other words are added to form the sentence "I hedge. Oh red winking neon logic. No, I just can't make the sunny side of my mind press the black button, think around the bend of theory to be only this consummate "o" this visionary "r" of the deeper world." As these words appear, wistful music plays. These words are a dark red. Another button appears that says "yet then…" and the rest of the poem appears as more words are added and rearranged. The music playing is suspenseful and intense as if leading to the conclusion and the words are in black. They say "I step to the idea edge elegantly and oh so ultimately, not just any watered down walking out, but a fine wine of leave-taking, a full-bodied forgoing-going-gone upon the logic lip. No, I just can't make the usual sense anymore, so I'll simply stride out of my mind, press my foot firmly into the black, all-but-bottomless chasm beyond the brink, around the bend, off the rocker (yippee!), to leave behind only this consummate poem, this visionary, incorruptible transcript of the deeper world's One True Word: Leap". The word "leap" grows to the size of the screen and slowly disappears. The next button says "Now…" and once clicked all the words start to fall to the bottom of the screen leaving just the words "Just to sum up:" and then the word "faith" at the top falls down to the bottom and crushes all the words so that it is at the end of the sentence. As the words fall, sounds play that sound like something tumbling down.

The meaning I got out of this poem was that Faith withstands all logic. It seemed that Kendall started out confused about whether he should use logic or faith and this was represented by the colors of the words. They started out light and progressively grew darker as though his realization was becoming more concrete that all he needs is a leap of faith. The music also showed his progression from confusion to his realization because it started out light like it was just a thought and it grew more intense the deeper his thoughts became. Lastly, the way that the words fell down and all that was left was "faith" seemed to show that Kendall was acknowledging that once you find faith, nothing else matters. This poem evoked emotions that were very touching and would have been absent if it wasn't in this digital format. For this particular poem, I believe it is necessary to read it on the screen because simply reading it without the added elements doesn't give me the same reaction. Just rereading the poem that I rewrote in this blog didn't even evoke any emotion in me. The interpretations I drew from the e-poem were all based on the colors, sounds, fonts, and special effects done with the words. Those are what made me contemplate the meaning more and I don't believe that words on a page would have meant the same. The word choice even seems more powerful because of the digital elements. I would consider it a mistake for it to be presented any differently.

The Emergence of Digital Literature

When I entered this class, I was extremely skeptical that I would ever prefer digital literature to written literature. It's a topic that has bothered many people, including me, the way that technology is becoming the tool of choice for reading literature. Literature has come extremely far in the past five centuries and Katherine Hayles provides a good example of how people fear the new transformations of literature. In an excerpt from her article "Electronic Literature: What is it?" she tells a story about a monk who is caught with a printed book and the head monk fears the implications this means for the future of literature. He feared that their value as precious artifacts would be diminished if they could be produced so quickly and cheaply (A Nicholas Sparks novel is probably not a precious artifact when there are 999,999 other copies of it.) He also feared that if anyone would have access to printing then writing itself would also become compromised (Ever read National Enquirer?) He was right to fear these ideas because they have more or less proven true. Literature hasn't stopped evolving; it's made its new and improved appearance in the twentieth century as a digital force to be reckoned with. Electronic literature is everywhere. With the emergence of the new Kindle, I now wonder how long it will be before people stop reading books. Now with the emergence of electronic poems, I wonder how much time published poetry has before everyone starts using the digital version. I thought it would take a lot to convince me that digital literature has a lot to offer. However, after viewing the first few e-poems of the class, discussing the characteristics and complexity of e-poems, and attempting to create my own, I've found that digital literature isn't such a bad concept and may be here to stay. Although I will always prefer written text to that on a computer screen, digital literature is an exciting new tool and a great addition to the world of literature.

For the skeptics out there like me, you're about to become true believers in the merit of digital literature. Of course everyone will have expectations of digital literature that must be met if anyone is going to be convinced that it's worth their time. The best way to think of it is the progression of books being made into movies. When books are made into movies, so much more is added to the story that paper couldn't provide. Yes, when you read the book you can use your imagination and you have the characters and settings all built up in your mind. I'll also grant the fact that sometimes when books are made into movies, the movie version isn't as good as hoped or the characters look nothing like how you imagined them. However, the movie can add elements like music, sound effects, camera angles, spoken dialogue, lighting, and images that enhance the story and are not present in the book. Hayles says basically the same thing in her article. She says,

"Readers come to digital work with expectations formed by print […]. Of necessity, electronic literature must build on these expectations even as it modifies and transforms them. At the same time, because electronic literature is normally created and performed within a context of networked and programmable media, it is also informed by the powerhouses of contemporary culture, particularly computer games, films, animations, digital arts, graphic design, and electronic visual culture. In this sense electronic literature is a "hopeful monster" (as geneticists call adaptive mutations) composed of parts taken from diverse traditions that may not always fit neatly together. Hybrid by nature, it comprises a trading zone (as Peter Galison calls it in a different context) in which different vocabularies, expertises and expectations come together to see what might come from their intercourse. Electronic literature tests the boundaries of the literary and challenges us to re-think our assumptions of what literature can do and be." (What is it?, 2)

 

The last line is the most important point to keep in mind because it stresses the idea that electronic literature is forcing us to realize that we can take literature even further to a point where it provokes more thought than we've experienced up until now. She is not alone in this thought. Talan Memmott reinforces this idea in "Beyond Taxonomy: Digital Poetics and the Problem of Reading". He says that "the ability to cause thinking is an essential part of digital poetics and rhetoric, and it is here that literary hypermedia finds its greatest potential" (Taxonomy, 303). He not only says that it causes us to think more, he's also saying that that is where digital literature reaches its peak of importance. He doesn't stop there though. He says when people attempt to compare written text to its digital version, it "minimizes the material, performative, and computational actualities of digital poetry" because it has to be viewed as a whole and not for its individual parts (Taxonomy, 293). He explains this by using the analogy of a musician to his instrument. You have to learn how to play it and you have to actively participate with it in order to produce something substantial. You can't just touch the keys or a clarinet and you can't just blow through the opening; you have to do them simultaneously to get the full effect. He also makes a great comparison to the concept of mise-en-scène in theater where you don't just take into account the script you have to pay attention to everything else happening on stage like the costumes, lighting, and scenery. Electronic literature deserves and necessitates that same concept which is what makes it such a complex yet marvelous transformation of literature.