An updated version of an electronic-literature compendium is out, with the goal of creating a more interactive community.
Since 1998 the Electronic Literature Directory has compiled lists of works that are digitally born: for example, electronic poetry, or a text or even a game with a multimedia element. Electronic literature, or hypertext fiction, came to national attention in the 1990s; some called it revolutionary, others merely a passing trend.
The directory, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, now uses a wiki platform that allows the archive to include tags, descriptions, and discussions. Organizers hope to create a sort of “living archive,” which, like Wikipedia, is a communal effort. They also hope that the improvements will draw more readers and writers.
The directory has also added an editorial working group and an editorial board that curates each entry, “ensuring that each work represents electronic literature and not just digitized print literature and providing a scholarly annotation to help situate the work for readers,” said Mark Marino, the project’s director of communications.
“This directory has been a long time coming,” said Mr. Marino, an assistant professor of teaching at the University of Southern California. “… The previous version of the directory didn’t have the same type of collaborative structure. Like a museum, it reached its capacity.”
The revised Electronic Literature Directory is already online but will be released officially at the International Conference & Festival of the Electronic Literature Organization, in early June.
What do you think about electronic literature? Has it lived up to the hype? We’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments or via Twitter @wiredcampus.