Introducing Electronic Literature

Electronic Literature is rapidly emerging as an exciting field which is changing the way that contemporary literature is both produced and read. This accessible introduction guides readers through the history of the field and introduces the major themes and issues within Elit such as genres, materialities, global elit and archiving. The approach of the book encourages readers to reach their own conclusions through: Questions at the beginning of a chapter A variety of case studies to illustrate points Provisional approaches to answer questions Summary of discussion In this way the book provides essential information but it engages readers by offering research pathways rather than definitive answers. The chapter conclusions also make the book useful for more advanced readers as well as those seeking an introduction.

1. Foreword 2. Why E-Lit? 3. What is elit? 4. Forms of elit: Genres 5. Forms of elit: Materialities 6. Historical trajectories: Antecedents 7. Historical trajectories: Emergence of E-Lit 8. Global Elit 9. Edges of other forms 10. Gathering and Archiving Elit 11. Conclusions: Critical Intersections 12. Conclusions: Elit today Appendix Index

Sandy Baldwin is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Centre for Literary Computing at West Virginia University, USA. He has published widely on electronic literature, is chief editor of the book series ‘Computing Literature’ and is Vice President of the Electronic Literature Organisation.