K. Hayles, Writing Machines
Link to the book
Link to the interview with Katherine Hayles and Anne Burdick
Link to downloadable courses by Katherine Hayles
Having studied literature and literary theory, I realized I was looking with preset and limited eyes to the electronic library, trying to make out on which criteria I would build my judgement in commenting on them. Time, space, perspective, plot/story, style, composition do apply on these works, but so many more things come into the field, e.g. the combination of image/sound/text; or the (in)finite ways of reading and using it.
I hoped I would quickly find the cyber orientated incorporation of my favourite literature porfessor. I felt a big relief when I started reading Katherine Hayles’ Writing Machines.
Katherine Hayles is a Professor of English at the University of California (LA). Writing Machines is a small beautiful and powerful book in which she arguments for material criticism in literary theory. After an extended description of technotexts and the electronic environment for literary artifacts, she analyses in detail 3 existing works:
- (technotext) Talan Memmott, From Lexia to Plexia
- (artist’s book) Tom Philips, A humument
- (novel) Danielewski, House of Leaves
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