Electronic (digital) literature, often abbreviated as e-lit, refers to literary works that are born digital and rely on the capabilities of computers, networks, and digital media for their creation, distribution, and reception.

Unlike digitalized print books, such as e-books or PDFs, electronic literature cannot be fully experienced in print because it often incorporates interactivity, multimedia, algorithmic text generation, or networked environments.

The Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) defines it as works with a literary dimension that "takes advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer."

Examples include hypertext fiction, interactive fiction, digital poetry, generative literature, and more recent forms like Twitterature or netprov.

It's important to distinguish between electronic literature and print literature in digital format. The differences between the two may include origin, experience, printability, and reader role. Electronic literature is born digital, explicitly created for digital environments, whereas digitized print literature was originally in print and later converted into digital form. Electronic literature requires interactivity, multimedia, or algorithmic processes, while digitalized print literature offers a linear reading experience. Electronic literature cannot be printed without losing essential features, while digitalized print literature can usually be printed with little or no loss of meaning. Electronic literature is often participatory, allowing readers to shape the narrative path, whereas digitized print literature, such as books, is passive, with readers consuming text in a fixed order. Examples of electronic literature include hypertext fiction, kinetic poetry, and interactive games. Digitized print literature encompasses Kindle or Kobo e-books and PDFs of novels. Thus, while e-books are essentially digital containers for print texts, electronic literature is a narrative digital art form.

The development of electronic literature reflects the evolution of computing and digital culture. Early experiments in the 1950s included generative literature, which was computer programs that produced poems or stories. In the 1960s, experimental poets and programmers explored text-based games and digital art, and the 1970s brought the rise of interactive fiction, such as Adventure and Zork, where readers typed commands to progress. In the 1980s, hypertext fiction emerged as a new literary genre. Distributed on floppy disks, readers navigated stories by clicking links. Hypertext fiction expanded on the web in the 1990s, and early online journals emerged. The 2000s witnessed the growth of digital poetry, incorporating animation, sound, and interactivity, as well as the thriving of online communities focused on interactive fiction. In the 2010s, social media platforms gave rise to Instapoetry, Twitterature, and collaborative forms like netprov. In the 2020s, electronic literature has increasingly intersected with AI, VR, and AR, blurring the boundaries between literature, gaming, and performance art.

One of the defining features of many e-lit works is nonlinearity. Unlike traditional novels that follow a fixed sequence, electronic literature often allows readers to choose paths, rearrange fragments, or generate unique versions of a text. Hypertext fiction, such as Michael Joyce's Afternoon, a story, lets readers navigate through lexia (text fragments) via links. Generative literature produces different outputs each time, meaning no two readings are identical. This nonlinearity challenges conventional notions of authorship and narrative, making the reader a co-creator of meaning.

Preserving electronic literature is notoriously difficult. Unlike print books, which can survive centuries if cared for, digital works face rapid obsolescence. A work designed for Flash or an obsolete operating system may become unreadable over time. Proprietary formats risk becoming inaccessible when companies discontinue support for their technology. Additionally, floppy disks, CD-ROMS, and even websites degrade or disappear. Many works of electronic literature fall outside traditional publishing systems, making them more challenging to archive. To address this, organizations like the Electronic Literature Organization and digital archives, such as the Electronic Literature Collection, have developed strategies including migration (updating works to new platforms) and emulation (recreating old environments on modern systems). Still, the field faces an ongoing struggle to ensure that today's digital works remain accessible to future generations.

Electronic literature is not simply literature on a screen; it is a distinct artistic practice that leverages the affordances of digital media. As digital culture evolves, so too will the forms and futures of electronic literature.

 

 

Feature Article

Electronic Literature Checklist

When deciding whether a site really belongs under Electronic Literature rather than another literature category.

Born-Digital

• - Was the work created for the digital medium, not just scanned or transcribed?
• - Examples: hypertext fiction, interactive poetry, generative text.

Medium-Dependent

• - Does the piece rely on the computer to exist or function?
• - If you printed it out, would it lose its essential qualities (e.g., links, animation, sound, interactivity)?

Interactive or Dynamic

• - Does the reader's action (clicking, scrolling, typing, choosing) shape the experience?
• - Or does the system itself generate new variations (algorithmic writing, procedural poetry)?

Multimedia Integration

• - Does it combine text with sound, video, animation, or code in ways that are integral to the work?
• - Not just illustrations, but media that changes how the story/poem works.

Experimental/Innovative Use of Language

• - Does it push the boundaries of what "literature" can be in a digital environment?
• - Often overlaps with digital art, but with a clear literary core.

Not Electronic Literature

• - Digitized print works (e.g., Project Gutenberg)
• - Online archives or libraries of traditional texts.
• - Communities for sharing conventional prose/poetry without digital experimentation.
• - Reference or summary sites (e.g., WikiSummaries).

Quick Rule of Thumb

• - If the work could exist unchanged as a printed book, it is not electronic literature.
• - If it needs the digital medium to make sense, it is electronic literature.

For text-based adventure games and interactive fiction with a stronger emphasis on puzzles and gameplay, see our related category: Text-Based Computer Games, as well as our category covering the tools that are used to create text-based adventure games: Text Game Creation, since many of these applications (ADRIFT, ChoiceScript, Inform 7, Inklewriter, Inky, Playfic, Twine) are also used to create interactive literature.

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