ENGL278W: Literature in a Wired World
Spring 2011
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00pm-12:50pm (Tawes 0223)
Joseph Byrne
byrnejo@umd.edu
Office: Tawes 2132
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10am-1130am, and by appointment
Course Description:
An introduction to the changing nature of books, texts, and narrative in the Information Age. You will
explore the history of computers and writing, the role of the book in relation to other media, emerging
forms of digital narrative, and the influence of computing on contemporary literature and culture. Issues
to be considered include the fate of reading in today’s always online, always connected world, new
forms of written communications (what does it mean that “text” is now a verb?), and the relationship
between stories and games. Readings will range from medieval illuminated manuscripts to
contemporary electronic fiction and poetry. Students will also learn practical skills ranging from how to
evaluate and cite electronic resources to personal Web publishing.
Writing will be an essential part of the course. There are two paper assignments for the course, and
students will also be expected to make frequent contributions to the course blog. There will also be a
midterm and a final exam, which will involve some essay writing.
Course Goals:
The course will explore questions about reading, narrative, and literature at the most basic level, asking
students to consider the relationship between technology and literary expression. It will expose
students to a number of contemporary literary experiments today, as poets and fiction writers explore
the new landscape of the Web. Finally, it will introduce students to practical aspects of reading and
writing online, including research using digital primary sources, citation, and the use of commonplace
tools like blogs, wikis, and social media, to communicate online.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity and facility with core terms and concepts in electronic
literature, non-linear narrative, and digital storytelling.
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of critical methods used by scholars in this unique
and emerging area of literary studies.
Students will learn to demonstrate critical thinking in the evaluation of sources and scholarly
argumentation, with particular attention to online media and sources.
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Students will conduct research on new and emerging literary works, using a variety of sources and
technologies.
Required Texts:

Shelley Jackson. Patchwork Girl. CD-ROM (Eastgate Systems, 1995). ISBN: 1884511236

Marge Piercy. He, She, It. New York: Random House, 1991. ISBN: 0449220605.
Grading:

30% Class participation (in-class discussion, group work, and blog comments)

10% Mid-term paper

10% Mid-term exam

30% Semester Project

20% Final Exam
Papers and Projects:
The university requires 10 pages of formal written work in undergraduate courses. In this course, the 10page requirement breaks down as:

Mid-term Paper: 3-4 pages analyzing a digital work we have not discussed in class, in a genre we
have discussed in class (i.e. hypertext, digital poetry, interactive fiction, etc.).

Semester Project: 5-7 pages presenting, and analyzing, a digital work that you have created.
Details will be provided later, but it is expected that the analysis, or “manifesto,” portion of your
paper will draw upon the works and themes of the entire course.
Note: All class papers and projects need to be submitted electronically, sent (by attachment or link) to
my email address listed above. Papers can be in MS-Word format, PDF, HTML, or any other format
which can be transmitted, and read, electronically. Please convert Open Document format (.odt) to MSWord format
Class Blog:
The course blog will be in effect our virtual classroom. All the readings will be posted there, along with
lecture notes, class exercises, and announcements. We will also be using the blog for much of our
writing in this course, using it to carry on virtual class discussion, and “publish” papers. Since the blog
will represent an important complement to our in-class work, participation will be required. The
breakdown of your requirement is as follows:

Journal Entries: The class will be divided into 7 groups; one group will be published on the class
blog each week. This means that each student will submit one journal entry throughout the
2
semester. Journal entries are typically 5-7 sentences in length. Although journal entries are not
considered formal class writing, they should engage with the material discussed in class and
grapple with some of the course’s major themes.

Comments: Each student will be required to make 7 comments on the class blog during the
semester. Each comment should be at least a paragraph in length (3-5 sentences). Comments
can be responses to discussions then underway on the blog, or in class. More than by number,
comments will be judged on the insightfulness of the commentary and the tendency to provoke
further discussion; they fall under the participation portion of your grade. You are more than
welcome to submit more than 7 comments. In commenting on other students’ work, it is
important that you are respectful of the ideas of others, even if you do not agree with them. As
the blog administrator, I will eliminate any posting that may be offensive to other students.
Attendance Policy: It is essential that you attend class to participate in discussions, group work, etc.
Students should have no more than 4 unexcused absences throughout the semester. Any more than 4
will negatively impact your grade. More than 10 unexcused absences will result in zero credit for the
class participation portion of your grade. An unexcused absence is defined as any absence that is not the
result of personal illness, family illness, or official religious observance. I will require supporting
documentation to excuse most absences.
University Policies:

Academic Integrity and Honor Pledge: Plagiarism, whether it is submitting someone else’s work
as your own, submitting your own work completed for another class without the permission of
the instructor, or otherwise violating the university’s code of academic integrity, will not be
tolerated. You are expected to understand the university’s policies regarding academic integrity.
These can be found at the Student Honor Council website at
www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu. Please visit this website, click on the “students” link, and
read the information carefully.

Special Needs: If you have a registered disability that will require accommodation, please see
me immediately. If you have a disability and have not yet registered it with Disability Support
Services in the Shoemaker Building (4-7682 or 5-7683 TTY-TDD), you should do so immediately.

Religious Observance: Please inform me of any intended absences for religious observances at
the beginning of the semester.
Class Schedule:
Monday 24 January
Digital Literature: An Oxymoron?

General Introduction and review of syllabus, course policies
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Wednesday 26 January
The Book: the Original Digital Object
Readings:

N. Katherine Hayles, “Electronic Literature: What Is It?”
http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html

Cyberartsweb, “Media and Information Technology”
http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/infotech/lectures/it

Steve McCaffery and bpNichol, from The Book as Machine (PDF)

Keith A. Smith, from Book as a Physical Object (PDF)

Matthew Kirschenbaum, “Bookscapes: Modeling Books in Electronic Space” (PDF)
Friday 28 January
The Book: Lab

Group work: creating an analogue book from digital materials
Readings:

Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org

Google Books: http://books.google.com
Monday 31 January
Re-versioning Frankenstein
Readings:

Browse Frankenstein Online (at Romantic Circles):
http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/frankenstein

Jay Clayton, “Frankenstein’s Monster, Replicants, and Cyborgs” (PDF)

William St. Clair, “Frankenstein”(PDF)
Wednesday 2 February
He, She, It, You: Part I
Reading:

He, She, It, chapters 1-16
Due: Team G Blog Entries (10pm)
4
Friday 4 February
Frankenstein: Lab

Group work: Re-versioning Frankenstein
Monday 7 February
Introduction to Remediation
Readings:

Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, from “Remediation” (PDF)

Neil Hennessey, “The Jabberwocky Engine”:
http://www.poemsthatgo.com/gallery/winter2004/jabber

W. Bradley Paley, “Textarc”: http://textarc.org

The Blake Archive: http://www.blakearchive.org

Joseph Byrne, “Blake’s Contraries Game” (including Contraries Game 2.0):
http://www.rc.umd.edu/praxis/designsonblake/byrne/byrne.html
Wednesday 9 February
He, She, It, You: Part II
Reading:

He, She, It, chapters 17-33
Team A Presents: Remediation
Friday 11 February
Remediation: Lab

Group work: digitizing an analogue book
Monday 14 February
Introduction to Hypertext
Readings:

George P. Landow, “The Definition of Hypertext and the History of the Concept” from Hypertext
3.0 (PDF)

Stuart Moulthrop, “You Say You Want a Revolution” (PDF)
Wednesday 16 February
Hypertext in Word and Action
5

Browse Selections from the Electronic Literature Collection: http://collection.eliterature.org/1

Review of Electronic Literature Collection in DHQ:
http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/002/1/000017.html
Friday 18 February
Hypertext: Lab

Group work: create hypertext fiction in class
Team B Presents: Hypertext
Monday 21 February
Introduction to Patchwork Girl
Readings:

Browse Shelley Jackson, Patchwork Girl

“Stitch Bitch: The Patchwork Girl,” Shelley Jackson
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/jackson.html
Wednesday 23 February
Patchwork Girl and Other Remediations

“What Hypertext Is,” Noah Waldrip-Fruin
http://www.hyperfiction.org/texts/whatHypertextIs.pdf

N. Katherine Hayles, “Flickering Connectivities in Shelley Jackson’s Patchwork Girl: The
Importance of Media-Specific Analysis”
http://pmc.iath.virginia.edu/text-only/issue.100/10.2hayles.txt
Due: Team F Blog Entries (10pm)
Friday 25 February
Patchwork Girl: Lab

Group Readings of Patchwork Girl
Monday 28 February
Digital Poetry: Introduction
Readings:

Browse Jason Nelson, poems: http://www.heliozoa.com

Christopher Funkhouser, “Digital Poetry: A Look at Generative, Visual, and Interconnected
Possibilities in its First Four Decades”:
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http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/view?docId=blackwell/9781405148641/9781405
148641.xml&doc.view=content&chunk.id=ss1-511&toc.depth=1&brand=9781405148641_brand&anchor.id=0

David Jhave Johnston, “Digital Poetry Overview” (browse)
http://glia.ca/conu/digitalPoetics/prehistoric-blog
Wednesday 2 March
Digital Poems: Selections
Readings:

Browse Poems That Go: http://poemsthatgo.com

Browse Electronic Poetry Center: http://epc.buffalo.edu/e-poetry
Team C Presents: Digital Poetry
Due: Team E Blog Entries (10pm)
Friday 4 March
Digital Poetry: Lab

Group work: creating a digital poem
Monday 7 March
Interactive Fiction/Text Games: Introduction
Readings:

Beginners Guide to Interactive Fiction:
http://www.microheaven.com/IFGuide/

Stuart Moulthrop, “Pax, Writing, and Change” (PDF)

Nick Montfort, “Interactive Fiction in Our Culture” (PDF)
Wednesday 9 March
Interactive Fiction/Text Games: Selections

Browse Andrew Plotkin, “Shade”: http://www.eblong.com/zarf/zplet/shade.html

Browse Will Crowther and Don Woods, “Adventure”
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/gallery/adventure

Browse Stuart Moulthrop, “Pax”
http://iat.ubalt.edu/moulthrop/hypertexts/pax/
Team D Presents: Interactive Fiction/Text Games
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Friday 11 March
Interactive Fiction/Text Games: Lab

Group play of interactive fiction games
Readings:

Browse Interactive Fiction Database: http://ifdb.tads.org

Browse Interactive Fiction Archive: http://www.ifarchive.org

Browse Interactive Fiction Wiki: http://www.ifwiki.org

Browse Dennis Jerz’s Interactive Fiction page: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/index.html

Browse Zarf’s Interactive Fiction page: http://www.eblong.com/zarf/if.html
Due: First Paper
Monday 14 March
Textual Immersion and Virtual Reality: Introduction
Readings:

Natalie Bookchin, “The Intruder”: http://www.poemsthatgo.com/gallery/fall2003/intruder

Julian Dibble, “A Rape in Cyberspace”: http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/bungle.html
Wednesday 16 March
Textual Immersion: Lab

Class meets and plays in the FrankenMOO:
http://www.rc.umd.edu:7000/
Readings:

Using the MOO: http://www.rc.umd.edu/pedagogies/moo/index.html

MOO primer: http://www.rc.umd.edu/villa/moo-primer.html

Eric Sonstroem: ““Do You Really Want a Revolution?”? CyberTheory Meets Real-Life Pedagogical
Practice in FrankenMOO and the Conventional Literature Classroom” (PDF)
Team E Presents: Textual Immersion/Virtual Reality
Friday 18 March
Mid-Term Exam
8
Monday 21 March
No Class: Spring Break
Wednesday 23 March
No Class: Spring Break
Friday 25 March
No Class: Spring Break
Monday 28 March
Introduction to Personal Fictions (Cyborgs/Avatars)
Readings:

Donna Haraway, “A Cyborg Manifesto”:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html

George P. Landow, “The Cyborg”:
http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/cyborg/cyborgov.html

Katherine Hayles, from from “How We Became Post-Human” (PDF)
Wednesday 30 March
He, She, It, You: Part III

He, She, It, chapters 34-49
Friday 1 April
April Fool’s Day

Group Work: Possible class visit to Second Life; creating fictional profiles/avatars
Monday 4 April
Introduction to Fiction Blogs
Readings:

Danah Boyd, “A Blogger’s Blog: Exploring the Definition of a Medium”:
http://reconstruction.eserver.org/064/boyd.shtml
Wednesday 6 April
Fiction Blogs: Selections
Readings:

Browse Horton’s Folly: http://hortonsfolly.blogspot.com
9
Due: Team D Blog Entries (10pm)
Team F Presents: Fiction Blogs
Friday 8 April
Fiction Blogs: Lab

Group reading/writing of fiction blogs
Monday 11 April
Introduction to Fiction Wikis
Readings:

Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman and Wanlei Zhou, “Teaching and Learning Online With Wikis”
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/augar.html
Wednesday 13 April
Fiction Wikis: Selections
Readings:

Browse “I Have Thirty Days to Live” at Storymash:
http://storymash.com/u/theblackhand/pohumalu/

Browse Conworlds wiki: http://conworld.wikia.com

Browse Wikifiction Index: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikifiction
Due: Team B Blog Entries (10pm)
Team G Presents: Fiction Wikis
Friday 15 April
Fiction Wikis: Lab

Group reading/writing/editing of fiction wikis
Monday 18 April
Introduction to Film/Fiction Hybrids
Wednesday 20 April
Film/Fiction Hybrids: Selections
Due: Team A Blog Entries (10pm)
Friday 22 April
Semester Project Work Day

Use time in lab to work on semester projects
10
Monday 25 April
Semester Project Presentations I

Presentations of individual student projects
Wednesday 27 April
Semester Project Presentations II

Presentations of individual student projects
Friday 29 April
Semester Project Presentations III

Presentations of individual student projects
Monday 2 May
Digital Literature and Humanities Computing
Readings:

Robert Darnton, “The Library in the New Age”:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21514

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), “To Read or Not To Read”:
http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead.pdf
Wednesday 4 May
Future of Digital Literature
Readings:

N. Katherine Hayles, “Literature and the Literary: Why Electronic Literature is Key to Their
Future,” summarized at jill/txt: http://jilltxt.net/?p=1992

Scott Rettburg, “Communitizing Electronic Literature,” Grand Text Auto:
http://grandtextauto.org/2008/05/29/communitizing-electronicliterature/?s=future&submit=%3F
Due: Team C Blog Entries (10pm)
Friday 6 May
Digital Literature Jeopardy
Monday 9 May
Semester Review and Wrap-Up
Due: Semester Projects
11
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday 17 May 8:00am-10:00am
12