Final Project: With Poe's Help

For my final project I sought inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe.  My students are currently reading Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher."  In wonderful Poe fashion, "The Fall of the House of Usher" has a dark and dreary setting with an ancient family whose line will end when Roderick and his sister Madeline die.  The Usher house, much like the Usher family, is crumbling.  Using setting, character, plot, and diction, Poe creates a feeling within the story and the reader of irrational fear, a nameless, faceless, timeless fear. When writing Poe would began with an emotion, a single effect, that he wished to create; every aspect of the story seeks to create, enhance, and reinforce this effect.

Needless to say imitating Poe is a stretch, but adding technology created moments of a single emotional effect I am unable to express publicly.  I was disappointed with my showing on the last project using Open Office Impress (a bit like PowerPoint); the overall effect seemed a bit childish and lacked complexity and smoothness.  A glutton for punishment, I went back to Open Office Impress to try again with the final project.  I was able to cut and paste a quote from an essay written by Poe describing his writing process to a slide for a second presentation and link it to the main presentation.  I used sound and music to help create my single effect of terror.  I was also able to include a very cool and disturbing 'gif.'  The images throughout the presentation add to the feelings and thoughts that often come when you are home alone and your imagination doesn't know when to stop.  In most of the slides there is a crack (black line) that widens as the story unfolds and suggests the character's growing sense of terror.

Final Project:  With Poe's Help

April 23 - Plans for Final Project and Re-submit of My Review

For my final project I was thinking of doing another "spine poem."  Each piece of the poem would then become a link to something else.  I have yet to figure out a them for the piece, but I want to include text as well as sound and images for the piece.  I will probably revisit Google sites for this project unless anyone has a suggestion that might work better.

 Review of Robert Kendall's poem “Faith”

I originally chose Robert Kendall's poem “Faith” because it was two things that I had not seen in our exploration of Electronic Literature so far; the piece was short and it had an ending. In my ongoing battle with my unfamiliarity with electronic literature and my apparent resistance to anything new, I thought I had wisely grasped at crutches that I could put into place to help me understand and connect to electronic literature in a familiar, comforting way, similar to how I would read and understand a poem found in an anthology. What I have come to realize with this piece is that Kendall's decision to combine poetry with technology enhances the poem and its meaning. By using sound effects, animation, music, and words, Kendall has created a poem that says and does more than if it were found in an anthology. Also, by putting the poem out there electronically, Kendall reaches a different audience than the usual poetry readers.

“Faith” as it might appear in an anthology:

Faith

Faith logic can't bend this. So...

I edge logic out. Can't the mind press on around the bend to consummate this vision of the deep “or”?

Maybe. But...

I hedge. Oh red winking neon logic. No, I just can't make the sunny side of my mind press the black button, think around the bend of theory to be only this consummate “o,” this visionary “r” of the deeper world. Yet then...

I step to the idea edge elegantly and choose ultimately, not just any watered-down walking out but a fine wine of leave taking, a full bodied forgoing – going – gone upon the logic lip. No, I just can't make the usual sense anymore so I'll simply stride out of my mind, press my foot firmly into the black, all-but-bottomless chasm beyond the brink, around the bend, off the rocker (yipee!), to leave behind only this consummate poem, this visionary, incorruptible transcript of the deeper world's One True Word: Leap

Now...

just to sum up: Faith

The Facts about “Faith”:

• Text's Genre – Animation/kinetic, Audio, Flash, Music, and Poetry
• Robert Kendall describes his piece as a kinetic poem containing 5 states or movements. Each new state is overlaid over the previous one with the new state absorbing the previous one while arguing with its intent or meaning.
• To navigate through this piece is relatively simple. The reader first needs to adjust the volume of his or her speakers as music plays during the poem's presentation. A reader then clicks on the arrow to move to the next state.

The Experience that is “Faith”:

http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/kendall__faith.html

Watch, listen, read, think, and reflect.

The first page of the piece announces the piece's title. The title “Faith: an Expanding Multi-Verse in 5 Movements” is elaborately created with bold colors of red, blue, green, and gold and reminds me of the illuminated manuscripts that medieval monks would have created. The font is equally as elaborate as the colors and looks similar to calligraphy. The details of the drawing begin to create a religious impression, an impression that supports the poem's main idea.

Moving from the title page to begin the poem (First Movement), the word faith takes center stage as it is tapped and bombarded by the word “logic” over and over. Logic bounces off of Faith which seems unphased. Musical notes sound with every touch of logic, but the notes are discordant and simplistic. The yellow words for the first movement roll in from all sides rather illogically and the Movement ends with the word “so...” beginning the creative decision to have one Movement melt into another with each Movement building on the overall argument of Faith. Kendall suggests in the first movement that faith is stronger and more beautiful than logic because it is more resilient.

The Second Movement is more complex than the first. Harp music accompanies the yellow-orange words that slide onto the page transforming First Movement's words into a decision made by the poet to embrace Faith and reject logic. Harps are reminiscent of churches and angels and ultimately of faith. However, the poet's words words reveal that declaring one's desire to live a life based on faith is easier than actually living that life. The poet's words reflect his struggle to let go of the “mind” and its logical answers to embrace the unknown “deep.” This is the first of three times the poet uses the word “consummate.” This first time consummate is used is as a verb meaning “to complete;” the poet wants to have faith, but he is afraid of what he has never seen, felt, or experienced. The desire is there, but it is hesitant and nervous. Leaving logic behind and living a life based on faith requires courage and the poet is still struggling with this choice...”or” …”Maybe”...”But”.

In the Third Movement, he “hedges.” The yellow and orange words of the previous two movements are joined by a red color. ( The class discussed how these colors may be symbolic in nature - "red" being the blood of Christ...)The words appear from the sides and blend with the Second Movement's to the deep, complex, and sonorous sounds of organ notes being played. As new words appear, they blink and roll and flip onto the page to add to the meaning of the words themselves. “Red winking neon logic” blinks a warning; logic is safer and the poet should stop his desire to live a faith-based life. The word “theory” initially appears upside down then flips over suggesting faith inspires a new way of looking at the world and the uncomfortable feeling that may accompany this approach. This Movement seems to capture the rising tension of the poet. He can't seem to bring himself to press the “black button” that will take him to the “consummate” or perfect, “visionary” “deeper world,” yet faith is what he wants.

The Forth Movement is the most complex one of the five and is the climax of the poet's decision making process. The music that accompanies the words as they move and combine with the Third Movement is a blending of both harp and organ sounds. The two combine to make something unique, something not heard so far in the piece. The colors include the yellow, orange, and red words from the previous pages, but now some of the words are faded and some employ meaningful movement. The poet, himself, moves “elegantly” and with confidence now as he strides towards the “lip” of logic. “Off the rocker (yippee!)” rocks downward to express a sense of abandonment as the poet makes his final choice. The words suggest a free spirited joy and a lack of constraint now that his decision to live by faith is made. To Kendall faith is “consummate,” perfect, “visionary,” and “incorruptible” if one is willing to take the “leap.” The word leap literally leaps off this page and for a moment dominates the screen.

Now the Fifth and final Movement attempts to bring closure to the poem, but not to the possibilities of faith. The forth Movement seems to drop words to the bottom of the page while musical notes play playfully in the background. The word Faith that has appeared at the top of every page floats down to rest on top of the fallen words. Kendall's leap of faith was cushioned by his faith. The worries and fears that prevented him from taking the final step are an important part in the process of choosing to live a life that revolves around faith because they ask for reflection and a personal awareness, two components that are not always present in a life controlled by logic. Logic to Kendal limits choices and does not embrace the “full-bodied” joy that faith brings to the potential of life.

My Reaction to “Faith”:

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. I experienced the piece over and over, playing with my approach. The first time I read the piece, I simply tried to get the sense of it. I barely noticed the sounds and the word movements. I then let each page play out only to pause and think about the final words on each page. I wrote down the words of the Movements to help capture their meaning and to better understand the connection between the Movements. I played the piece without music and lost in that experience a bit of my enjoyment of the piece. Ultimately, I was able to understand and appreciate the layering effects of color, movement, and sound to the meaning of the piece as a whole. Kendall truly captures the complexities surrounding the choice to live by faith. The pitfalls that someone may argue as risks and dangers become in this poem part of the joy and freshness that comes with taking a leap of faith.

Sources:

1. www.blog.setonhill.edu
2. Electronic Book Review (www.electronicbookreview.com)
3. Electronic Literature Knowledge Base (elmcip.net/knowledgebase)
4. Robert Kendall's Home Page (www.wordcircuits.com/kendall)

Kendall's Home Page contained several links to articles written by Kendall himself. I found the articles very interesting because he explored and answered some of the concerns and questions I have about electronic literature.

April 16: Project 2

A couple of weekends ago I got a fun opportunity to revisit the local playground.  The park has slides and even a suspended bridge, but, just like when I was a kid, I found myself drawn to the swings.  The chains are long enough to make a child feel daring, but safe with sand at the base for leaping off.  As an adult I was able to appreciate the picturesque quality of the oak and sycamore trees that shielded the swings from the sun's rays and provided a potential goal for a stretched-out toe as a swinging child reached his or her highest point of the swinging arc.  As a kid, I would race for the swings to claim one for recess time.  Playing on the swings was fun, competitive, freeing, and therapeutic as I tried to make the most of the 20 minutes I had on a day that we were allowed to play outside.  I still love a good swing set, and I am not against developing a few callouses if given the chance to be "Queen of the Swings" for a time.

Project 2 is an ode to swings.  I used OpenOffice to set up my slide show.  Each slide is framed by trees.  The "back and forth" slides employ motion to emulate the movement of swings.  I had a lot of fun locating images of swings because each one seemed to capture not only the action of swings but the spirit of them as well.  During a couple of slides, I was able to attach the sound of children playing.  The sights, sounds, motions, and words of the poem all try to capture my love for swings.  The last slide has an attachment (click on the image) of a Robert Louis Stevenson poem called "The Swings."  I had no idea that the author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde and I shared a passion for swings!

"To Touch the Sky"

April 9

For my second project, I chose to use PowerPoint. I looked at Animoto and MovieMaker and felt the one was too simple and the other over my head.  PowerPoint seemed to offer the best of both words, plus opportunities to be electronically creative.  I wrote a poem that I broke into "lexia."  Each lexia has at least one image connecting back to the poem's theme.  I am now working on adding movement of words and images (hopefully) as well as sound to the piece.  I am intrigued by the many ways sound and movement may be added.  My question for Dr. Flores is: Can movement be added to a copied and pasted photograph or am I only able to use clip art to get animation of objects or people?  Another question I have is:  How can both sound and animation be added to the same lexia?

April 2, Spine Poem

Katie turns 16!

March 26 - comments on "A Bibliographic Overview of E-lit."

In reading Amanda Star Gould's article "A Bibliographic Overview of Electronic Literature," I was again stuck by the complexity that exists within and behind pieces of electronic literature.  The article was addressing the new and complex ways electronic literature may be read and analyzed.  The way traditional literature has been read, categorized, and analyzed in the past won't work for electronic literature, or it works but only to a certain point.  The use of code and interactivity of e-lit. propels literary criticism forward into new areas.  Wardrip-Fruin suggests that one should read digital literature critically but also read it digitally.  Readers/students would need to be trained, so that they are able to appreciate "literary systems and structures."  These comments reflect my own experience with electronic literature.  The first pieces we read as a class,I read through the traditional lens of analysis.  What I am realizing and learning to appreciate are the many layers that adding sound, animation, images, flash, hypertext, and more are having on a piece.  Also, how the author uses these layers to create greater meaning within a piece.  Francisco Ricardo asks whether electronic literature should be grounded in "stable theory" or "move beyond to a new interdisciplinary space."  The potential of taking electronic literature beyond traditional methods of analysis in order to acknowledge its unique form of complexity makes sense to me.  For students to learn, understand, and appreciate how a code or a function is utilized or created by an author to perform a function of layered meaning and purpose is incredibly creative.  That said, one of my concerns with electronic literature is when authors rely heavily on the electronic aspect for a piece and neglect the literature aspect.  Good writing should not be given a back seat to electronic "tricks."

Questions:
What "interdisciplinary" applications do you see electronic literature having?

Is your description of good writing different when comparing and contrasting traditional literature and electronic literature?

In what way and for what purpose should electronic literature be used in a classroom?

Project 1 - Literary Hypertext

For this assignment, I wanted to bring together some of my most favorite female literary characters:  Jane Eyre (from Jane Eyre), Daisy Buchanan (from The Great Gatsby), Wife of Bath (Canterbury Tales), Lady Macbeth (from Macbeth), and Mrs. Ramsey (from To the Lighthouse).  I thought it would be interesting to explore multiple perspectives on various topics from women of various time periods, backgrounds and interests.  I placed them in a very traditional setting, a sewing circle, and let them offer advice on life to a newcomer to the group.  My hope was to capture their personalities and spirits as they conveyed their thoughts on topics like love, marriage, home, and men.  As I got deeper into the assignment and more confident with creating hypertext and linking them to my blog, I added an audio and video clip link plus a link to Middle English and literary criticism.  I feel this idea has lots of possibilities, but my inexperience took up a lot of my time.  I think I could see using this as a final assignment for the year for some of my classes, a creative assignment that also shows what they have learned.

To navigate this assignment readers simply have to click on the highlighted area on the original site or click on any highlighted words to progress further into the piece or to return to the original site.

Link to Literary Hypertext Project:
Sewing Circle