In 2000 words write a detailed critical analysis of a published work of electronic literature, considering literary effect, meaning and theme in relation to genre/medium/platform as well as cultural and publication context. Do not repeat material from 001.
You may plan and present this assignment either as a conventional essay or in an electronic form, subject to discussion with the tutor. The Electronic Literature Collection would be a good source for your chosen text, or you can work on one of the primary texts we discussed in class.
You are recommended to include sample screenshots as illustrations where possible. You should also refer to relevant secondary sources to help develop your argument.
Text to write about: Jennifer Egan, “Black Box” (2012). This short story, about a female spy, was originally published via the Twitter feed of the New York Times. It was subsequently compiled into a single text.
As you read the story, think about what effects are produced by constructing the story out of the regular units of 140-character tweets; and how this formal property of the composition is related to the representation of technologised (cyborg-like) subjectivity in the character of the protagonist.
This assignment relates primarily to LO2, explicitly through a critical assignment and implicitly through a creative assignment. LO2 Knowledge and understanding: evaluate literary experimentation in terms of thematic, conceptual or technical innovation and the imaginative qualities of textual worlds, showing awareness of recent scholarship, research and practice.
For option A, a good assignment will (i) show a clear and well-informed understanding of the operation of one or more electronic literature genres and (ii) apply skills of literary analysis and evaluation to a specific textual example.
You should expect your tutor’s feedback to comment on the clarity of your argument, that is, the logical and consistent way you set out your views, and your contextualisation of arguments with reference to primary and secondary reading.
[Option A is the chosen option]
