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= understanding texts =
= understanding texts =
 
see also [[User:Simon/Human writing|human writing]], [[User:Simon/Machine writing|machine writing]], [[User:Simon/Producing texts|producing texts]], [[User:Simon/Technologising the word|technologising the word]]
see also human writing, machine writing, producing texts, technologising the word


What makes up a text depends on perspective and overlapping dimensions of text; editorial, technical and social.
What makes up a text depends on perspective and overlapping dimensions of text; editorial, technical and social.
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The ''editorial'' dimension; a sequence. A line of characters and spaces, the particular order that the writer sets these in. Text becomes an object, a carrier of thoughts and feelings, something that can be sent back and forth between participants in a conversation.
The ''editorial'' dimension; a sequence. A line of characters and spaces, the particular order that the writer sets these in. Text becomes an object, a carrier of thoughts and feelings, something that can be sent back and forth between participants in a conversation.


The ''technical'' dimension; a process. Cybertexts and “ergodic literature” require non-trivial effort to read<ref>Aarseth, E.J. (1997) ''Cybertext: perspectives on ergodic literature''. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref>. Examples of this are MUDs (multi-user dungeons/domains/dimensions), which  are real-time virtual worlds in which the players construct the story on-the-fly, and Mark Z. Danielewski’s ''House of Leaves''<ref>Danielewski, M.Z. (2000) Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of leaves. 2nd ed. New York: Pantheon Books.</ref>, a printed novel that defies a linear narrative structure through its cybertextual materiality.
The ''technical'' dimension; a process. Cybertexts and “ergodic literature” require non-trivial effort to read<ref>Aarseth, E.J. (1997) ''Cybertext: perspectives on ergodic literature''. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref>. Examples of this are MUDs (multi-user dungeons/domains/dimensions), which are real-time virtual worlds in which the players construct the story on-the-fly, and Mark Z. Danielewski’s ''House of Leaves''<ref>Danielewski, M.Z. (2000) ''Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of leaves''. 2nd ed. New York: Pantheon Books.</ref>, a printed novel that defies a linear narrative structure through its cybertextual materiality.


The ''social'' dimension; a framework, a network of texts that elicit further texts.
The ''social'' dimension; a framework, a network of texts that elicit further texts.
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Image: A spread from Danielewski’s ''House of Leaves''
Image: A spread from Danielewski’s ''House of Leaves''
<references />
<references />


[[Category:Tasks of the Contingent Librarian|understanding texts]]
[[Category:Tasks of the Contingent Librarian|understanding texts]]

Latest revision as of 19:34, 10 June 2020

understanding texts

see also human writing, machine writing, producing texts, technologising the word

What makes up a text depends on perspective and overlapping dimensions of text; editorial, technical and social.

The editorial dimension; a sequence. A line of characters and spaces, the particular order that the writer sets these in. Text becomes an object, a carrier of thoughts and feelings, something that can be sent back and forth between participants in a conversation.

The technical dimension; a process. Cybertexts and “ergodic literature” require non-trivial effort to read[1]. Examples of this are MUDs (multi-user dungeons/domains/dimensions), which are real-time virtual worlds in which the players construct the story on-the-fly, and Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves[2], a printed novel that defies a linear narrative structure through its cybertextual materiality.

The social dimension; a framework, a network of texts that elicit further texts.

The library is a collection of texts; not just books, but also files, metadata, scripts and the processes that determine how they are used, and the readers who use them.

Image: A spread from Danielewski’s House of Leaves

  1. Aarseth, E.J. (1997) Cybertext: perspectives on ergodic literature. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  2. Danielewski, M.Z. (2000) Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of leaves. 2nd ed. New York: Pantheon Books.