About
Welcome to my site! My name is Matthew Ortman, and I am the author of this blog. I am a Junior at the University of Florida majoring in English and Anthropology. This semester I am taking a class in Electronic Literature (LIT3400) with professor Gregory Ulmer. It is an English class that studies digital and electronic literature, its development, and its place in modern art. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of literature and its basic principles we have read Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino, Electronic Literature by Kathrine Hayles, and Decoding Design by Maggie Mcnab. These works contribute to the design of the course, with Calvino’s book forming a theoretical outline and Hayles acting as a knowledge base. Mcnab’s book is also instrumental, as it forms the foundation for understanding the elements of design and visualization.
This blog is the result of a class project that aims to understand and explain contemporary literature. Wired Perspective: Memos for Electronic Literature is a blog devoted to the exploration of the relatively new phenomenon that is E-Lit. In order to achieve a coherent explanation of Electronic Literature, I have constructed a framework similar to Calvino’s memos. Basically, this blog is an attempt to synthesize literary, aesthetic, and technological knowledge. In order to do this, I have drawn on the works of Calvino, Hayles, Mcnab, Electronic Literature examples, and other Internet resources. In addition, I have chosen some images and analogies to help explain the various properties of E-Lit. It is my intention to demonstrate an understanding of electronic literature and its development through the use of analogy, explanation, and visual representation.
