overview. Historically, multimedia became an area of interest among literary critics in the early nineties when a handful of cutting-edge "interactive artists" (e.g. Michael Joyce, Stuart Moulthrop) and hypertext enthusiasts (e.g. George Landow, Jay David Bolter, Espen Aarseth) made much ado about this new mode of expression that came to fruition at the juncture of emergent media technologies, critical theory, and literature.

1. By exploring the "digitalization of literature" and through our own attempts to author multimedia texts, this course will look at cultural, communicational, and design concerns related to the reading and writing of multimedia. We will use rhetorical/cultural analysis to consider such issues as authorship, audience, visual literacy, interactivity, hypertexuality, and remediation.

2. This class is about producing multimedia as much as it is about studying multimedia. Throughout the semester we will develop our skills as authors of multimedia through a series of directed assignments, including the production of a work of multimedia, and through "media specific analyses" of multimedia works.

course.goals

to think historically and critically about multimedia writing and literature and its relationship to more traditional (print?) based forms of literature, film, and art.

to gain the critical tools necessary to perform "media specific analysis" (MSA) of multimedia literature.

to carefully consider the multimedia production process. How does author-user collaboration affect issues of authorship and originality? How does hyperlinking transfer control from the producer/author to the consumer/reader? and so on. How is multimedia a more interactive and therefore embodied mode of producing/experiencing a work?

to produce multimedia deliverables that demonstrate a complex understanding of the role of medium in the meaning-making process.

texts:

Blake, William. William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books. Thames and Hudson.
Danielewski, Mark Z. House of Leaves. Random House, 2002.
Tufte, Edward. "The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint."
Selected Handouts and websites

online.texts.&.resources:

Remediation (online introduction of Remediation: Understanding New Media)
frAme Literary Magazine
Stuart Moulthrop's Hypertext fiction (Reagan's Library, Color of Television, Hegirascope)
Eastgate Systems (Download demo of Storyspace here)
Electronic Literature Organization (Site encouraging electronic reading)
Vectors Journal of Culture and Technology
Blake Archive
House of Leaves forum

attendance

Please note the English Department Policy on Attendance: to be eligible to pass an English course, a student may miss no more than three times the weekly number of class meeting, regardless of the reason for these absences. For classes like this one that meet two times a week, students who have in excess of six absences cannot pass the course. This is true even if absences are sanctioned by the college (i.e athletics, theater, choir, etc) Frequent absences, even when they fall short of this absolute limit, will adversely affect your grade, which is to say that after three (3) absences, for each additional absence one-third of a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade. Lateness to class will count as one-half of an absence.

projects.&.assignments

Throughout the semester, you will be asked to produce two kinds of work: critical written responses (i.e. short reviews, and "media specific analyses"), and multimedia projects. Students are not required to begin class with knowledge of basic web/multimedia authoring tools (html, dreamweaver, photoshop) but they will be expected to become familiar with basic skills (e.g. ftp). Do not panic! We will work together to learn these skills. All assignments must be completed in order for you to pass the course. The final project is a revised version of an earlier assignment, which will give you an opportunity to put into practice all the skills and critical knowledges you have accumulated during the semester.

1. (10%) a critical analysis of Blake illuminated manuscripts. (2-3pp)

2. (15%) a multimedia work informed and inspired by Blake.

3. (15%) a critical analysis of a work of electronic literature. (3-4pp)

4. (15%) a work of electronic literature/multimedia that you create.

5. (15%) a critical analysis of Danielewski's novel House of Leaves. (4-6pp)

6. (15%) Final Project: A reconsidered and revised version of an original project (assignment 1 or 4)

7. (15%) Preparation and Participation, including regular attendance.

schedule (click here to view)