Into the nuts and bolts of Writing Machines Chapters 3 & 4

The benefit of hindsight is all very easy to judge, so in Chapter three, Entering the Electronic Environment, we watch as Hayles catalyses through the early days of the desktop publishing revolution, that we now take for granted.   We must bear in mind that the author came from the generation of people whose greatest written works were created with that great instrument, the fountain pen.  

As Hayles journeyed through academia, then on through her initial contacts with early computer systems, her first encounters with the desktop publishing concept was a breath of fresh air.  Though even as she evangelized to her contemporaries, the full concept on by how much electronic literature was about to change, took some time to take on board.

Hayles embraced the various concepts and it was then that she began to realize their potential. It also began to dawn on her just how much conventional methods were so rigidly ingrained in the literary establishment. This enthusiasm would in turn lead to an awareness that a complete rethink of how everyone looked at literature would be required. The progression of this would have huge impact on artifact and meanings.

The initial raw text forms of literature, converted from artifacts, would eventually give way to more and more radical concepts such as rich media, with their images, audio and navigational devices etc.  At this period in history, the metamorphosis of inscription technologies had a huge impacted on culture and concepts. Not all were in favour with the herald of new technologies, but naturally there were early adapters.  These individuals followed in the footsteps of those who previously had combined words with images and went on to prospect new frontiers.

Hayles takes the time to point out that mankinds attachment to the artifact reflected the terms which were involved, one’s bond to the works were definitely on another level.  Of course with this in mind, one can extrapolate that the texts created in new environments must also reach the reader at a separate level, part of the reflex loops mentioned in an earlier chapter. we

Hayles appreciation of the early pioneers who created various works in this new arena, combined with her own recognition in the established literary field took her to international conferences and allowed for interaction.  It was while at these affairs that her theories were aired, sometimes conflicting with some of her earlier proteges.   Despite these encounters she was now confident that her ideas were along the right lines.

As we open Lexia to Perplexia on our state of the art computers, we must try to imagine what the initial reader saw as they peered into the Pandora’s Box that Lexia to Perplexia heralded.   Even the most staid of imaginations must have been stirred.  We struggle to grasp just what exactly the pilgrim web surfers who happened upon it might have thought.   The combinations and permutations that screen, hyperlink and clever typographic devices combine to project Lexia to Perplexia is an entirely new domain in terms of texts relationship to the conduit.

Memmott’s creation is still impressive today as his use of media broke away from conventions governing literature as he knew it.   Granted the piece looks flat in dimension but of course we have the merits of over a decade in technology to judge it upon.   At the works origin there must have been quite a bit of discussion on where all this technology was leading too, as it engages the reader on an entirely new basis.

Memmott’s pushing of the boundaries is admirable and we can only imagine his endeavours akin of Giotto’s application of perspective nearly 700 years prior.   His contemporaries crying anathema as he explores the new media.   One can see that it is much more than simply pretty pixels at work here.   The language of the writing on dissection is a foray at combining a semantic with a semiosis.   His clever use of noise through which emerges the strength of the symbol, perhaps is the first emergence of a digital Esperanto.

With the hindsight of twelve years and the advances in telecommunications technology, the modern use of text and twitter has accelerated the use of abbreviations, abridgments and symbols in everyday media.   Acronyms have permeated through all modern languages, subliminal imagery burned upon the retina absorbed by our brains at every level.  Somewhere here is a ode to Memmott’s original creation, where form overrode such details as the need to accurate structure, spelling or grammar.   A road map for things to come.