User:Thijshijsijsjss/Gossamery/The New Media Reader/Nonlinearity and Literary Theory

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Revision as of 11:14, 4 August 2024 by Thijshijsijsjss (talk | contribs) (Add collapsible summary field with text headers)
  • Read on: July 2024
  • Read it physically in the studio, or on the bootleg library (TODO), or with my annotations (TODO)

This 1994 essay by Espen J. Aarseth outlines a theory of nonlinear texts and places this in the discourse of contemporary literary theory. I stumbled upon it in The New Media Reader, after reading the preceding chapters 12 and 50. By the merit of its placement in the book, that follows a chronological timeline, the alluring title, and Aarseth's name being connected to ludology, my interest was piqued. It is a dense text. Therefore, this entry will start with an attempt of a (subjective) (digestive) summary, after which more personal reflections are explored.

Follow ups to explore:

  • Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature (Espen J. Aarseth) (monoskop link)

Summary of 'Nonlinearity and Literary Theory'

Introduction

Behind the Lines: What is a Text, Anyway?

A Typology of Nonlinear Textuality

The Readerless Text

Hypertext Is Not What You (May) Think

Death and Cybernetics in the Ever-ending Text

"The Lingo of the Cable": Travels in Cybertextuality

The Limits of Fiction

The Rhetoric of Nonlinearity

The corruption of the Critic

Problems of "Textual Anthropology"