Generative Lit Character Creation

I think a good character to create is Dr. Alexander Thomas. Dr. Alexander Thomas is forty-five years old with two doctoral degrees from Oxford University. One degree in Biochemical Engineering, and a second degree in Business Finance. Dr. Thomas owns his own billion dollar pharmaceutical company, OME, and was acting supervisor of operations, and research at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. Dr. Behar worked under Dr. Thomas during her doctoral work with drought resistant native plants. Dr. Thomas became intimately acquainted with Dr. Behar's work, and Dr. Behar herself. It was assumed that Dr. Thomas, and Dr. Behar had an intimate relationship during her stint at the research institute but those were only rumors. What is true is that Dr. Behar left the institute, and never again spoke to Dr. Thomas until recently when they were seen speaking, and attending many dinner parties together around town. Dr. Behar, and Dr. Thomas were also working on research together at Theopolis College. But the extent of their recent working together was kept secret between the two of them, and the work remains incomplete. The extent of Dr. Behar, and Dr. Thomas's relationship, work, or otherwise is still unknown.

Soliloquy, and Like Stars in a Clear Night Sky

    After reading both of these electronic literature. I have to say, I like "Like Stars in a Clear Night Sky" better than the other. One of the things that attracted me to this one is that it had both music, and an entertaining presentation. Soliloquy was full of stories, and I could go in order from 1, and forward through the stories. But I didn't like that there was a break between the lines that started something completely different than the rest. Plus, the visual elements of "Soliloquy" were not as attractive as the other. The void of music within "Soliloquy" made it less appealing than the other. Further, the visual aspect of "Like Stars in a Clear Night Sky" was more enticing than the other. The ability to interact was more appealing in this one because of the ability to click on the stars, the background music, and the interactivity. "Like Stars in a Clear Night Sky" was just more visually stunning, and more engaging than the other, and I found the stories to be more enjoyable. I just couldn't find myself getting into "Soliloquy" even though I did love the fact that the navigation was more controlled, and I could conduct my navigation with more order. "Like Stars in a Clear Night Sky" was just more fun to navigate because of its visual appeal, music, and the interactivity of navigating through the stars, and plotting out a story.

Twelve Blue

     I approached twelve blue by trying to go in a number sequence from one, two, three, and so on. But when I would press one number, and the following number would begin a completely different story. After trying this strategy I just ended up reading several different stories because I found myself reading several different stories. I thought the number strategy would help me keep order in the readings, and in the hyperlinks but they didn't. The links were not in chronological orders, and although the numbers were in order their stories were out of order.

     However, I then tried to pick one number, and then following the hyperlinks within each story or paragraph. Each hyperlink led me to a completely different story. Some didn't even have hyperlinks within the paragraphs, and I had to click on one of the pictures in the top left corner which only sent me to a completely different link. I was hoping following the paragraphs, and their links would lead me from a beginning, to a middle, and to an end. But the links didn't lead me to any of that just a bunch of interconnecting stories that seemed similar but were different.

     Then I tried just following the numbers placed on the left hand side of the start screen of Twelve Blue. But the numbers on the left hand side don't actually link to anything. The numbers are there, I don't know, just for show. Trying that strategy didn't work out. I was hoping the selecting the numbers would link me to the same story in some order.

     After interacting with Twelve Blue, and trying these different strategies I found the electronic lit to be very frustrating, and lacking of any order in the stories, and links. I just wanted Twelve Blue to be direct, and to let me finish the stories. But it didn't, and I didn't find it too entertaining because I thought it would be more captivating if it allowed more order.

Electronic Literature Reading

      As I looked at the literature collections. I found that I liked the electronic literature in which I can make the story unfold with my participation. I like the "Carving in Possibilities" because the face took form as I clicked on through the lines of text around the murky image. However, I did not like the fact that I did not get much choice in the literature collections. I played with some that had the illusion of choice but were not truly free. The choice I made had already been pre-chosen by the author, and would lead me to an outcome already pre-ordained by the author. No matter whether I disagreed with the author or the characters opinion. I didn't like the controlled situation no matter how free the electronic literature may make it seem.

     After reading the articles. I like how she doesn't make one form of literature less important than the other. She classifies literature as classic, and contemporary or post-modern. Neither literature is more important than the other but equally important in its effects on people, and the improvements, and impressions they made or created within their own time.

     Additionally, she uses terms in the readings that apply to the different approaches or genres within the electronic field. These genres are similar to novels, poems, and dramas, and etc. But these genres are taken to another level with the integration of electronic literature. Poetry, dramas, and novels are no longer alive on lines of paper. But are made three dimensional, and multimodal. These forms use animation, pictures, words, music, and sounds to make these traditional or classical genres new, and more dynamic than they can be in their print forms, and creating new creations from these genres that are given birth on the computer screens, and made up of code.