Cybertext
Encyclopedia
Cybertext is the organization of text in order to analyze the influence of the medium
as an integral part of the literary dynamic, as defined by Espen Aarseth in 1997. Aarseth defined it as a type of ergodic literature
.
, which was coined by Norbert Wiener
in his book Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine (1948), which in turn comes from the Greek word kybernetes -helmsman
. Cybertexts are pieces of literature where the medium matters. Each user obtains a different outcome based on the choices they make. Cybertexts may be equated to the transition between a linear
piece of literature, such as a novel
, and a game
. In a novel the reader has no choice, the plot and the characters are all chosen by the author, there is no 'user,' just a 'reader,' this is important because it entails that the person working their way through the novel is not an active participant. In a game, the person makes decisions and decides what to do, what punches to punch, or when to jump. The difference between a game and a cybertext is that cybertexts usually have more depth, there is a method to the madness, the piece usually has a point, or message that is translated to the user as they work their way through the piece.
The fundamental idea in the development of the theory of cybernetics is the concept of feedback
: a portion of information
produced by the system that is taken, total or partially, as input. Cybernetics is the science that studies control and regulation in systems in which there exists flow and feedback of information. Though first used by science fiction
poet Bruce Boston
, the term cybertext was brought to the literary
world’s attention by Espen Aarseth in 1997.
Aarseth's concept of cybertext focuses on the organization of the text in order to analyze the influence of the medium
as an integral part of the literary dynamic. According to Aarseth, cybertext is not a genre
in itself; in order to classify traditions, literary genres and aesthetic value, we should inspect texts
at a much more local level.
to include phenomena that are perceived today as foreign or marginal. In Aarseth’s work, cybertext denotes the general set of text machines which, operated by readers, yield different texts for reading.
For example, with a book like Raymond Queneau
’s Hundred Thousand Billion Poems
, each reader will encounter not just poems
arranged in a different order, but different poems depending on the precise way in which they turn the sections of page.
. Depending on what link you choose or what portion of the diagram
on the side you pick you will be transferred to a different portion of the text. So in the end, you do not really finish reading the entire story or 'novel' you go through random pages and try piecing the story together yourself. You may never really 'finish' the story. But, because it is a cybertext the 'finishing' of the story is not as important as its impact on the reader, or on the conveyance. Stir Fry Texts, by Jim Andrews, is a cybertext where there are many layers of text, and as you move your mouse over the words, the layers beneath them are 'dug' through.
The House is another example of a cybertext where one might assume a description of the piece as follows:
It is an unruly text, the words don’t listen, you are not supreme. You are guided through the piece. This is a cybertext with minimal control. You watch as something unfolds before you, “a crumbling mania,” you must be able to go with the flow, to read texts upside down, to piece together a reflection of words, to be okay with texts half read disappearing or moving so far away so continuously that you can not make out those very important words.
Medium
- Communication :* Medium , storage and/or transmission tools used to store and deliver information or data* Transmission medium, in physics and telecommunications, any material substance which can propagate waves or energy...
as an integral part of the literary dynamic, as defined by Espen Aarseth in 1997. Aarseth defined it as a type of ergodic literature
Ergodic literature
Ergodic literature is a term coined by Espen J. Aarseth in his book Cybertext—Perspectives on Ergodic Literature, and is derived from the Greek words ergon, meaning "work", and hodos, meaning "path"...
.
Definition
The term cybertext is derived from the word cyberneticsCybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
, which was coined by Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener was an American mathematician.A famous child prodigy, Wiener later became an early researcher in stochastic and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems.Wiener is regarded as the originator of cybernetics, a...
in his book Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine (1948), which in turn comes from the Greek word kybernetes -helmsman
Helmsman
A helmsman is a person who steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, or other type of maritime vessel. On small vessels, particularly privately-owned noncommercial vessels, the functions of skipper and helmsman may be combined in one person. On larger vessels, there is a separate officer of the watch,...
. Cybertexts are pieces of literature where the medium matters. Each user obtains a different outcome based on the choices they make. Cybertexts may be equated to the transition between a linear
Linear
In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties:* Additivity : f = f + f...
piece of literature, such as a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, and a game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
. In a novel the reader has no choice, the plot and the characters are all chosen by the author, there is no 'user,' just a 'reader,' this is important because it entails that the person working their way through the novel is not an active participant. In a game, the person makes decisions and decides what to do, what punches to punch, or when to jump. The difference between a game and a cybertext is that cybertexts usually have more depth, there is a method to the madness, the piece usually has a point, or message that is translated to the user as they work their way through the piece.
Overview
Cybertext is based on the idea that getting to the message is just as important as the message itself. In order to obtain the message work on the part of the user is required. This may also be referred to as nontrivial work on the part of the user.The fundamental idea in the development of the theory of cybernetics is the concept of feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
: a portion of information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
produced by the system that is taken, total or partially, as input. Cybernetics is the science that studies control and regulation in systems in which there exists flow and feedback of information. Though first used by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
poet Bruce Boston
Bruce Boston
Bruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
, the term cybertext was brought to the literary
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
world’s attention by Espen Aarseth in 1997.
Aarseth's concept of cybertext focuses on the organization of the text in order to analyze the influence of the medium
Medium
- Communication :* Medium , storage and/or transmission tools used to store and deliver information or data* Transmission medium, in physics and telecommunications, any material substance which can propagate waves or energy...
as an integral part of the literary dynamic. According to Aarseth, cybertext is not a genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
in itself; in order to classify traditions, literary genres and aesthetic value, we should inspect texts
Plain text
In computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
at a much more local level.
Application
The concept of cybertext offers a way to expand the reach of literary studiesLiterary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
to include phenomena that are perceived today as foreign or marginal. In Aarseth’s work, cybertext denotes the general set of text machines which, operated by readers, yield different texts for reading.
For example, with a book like Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau was a French poet and novelist and the co-founder of Ouvroir de littérature potentielle .-Biography:Born in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Queneau was the only child of Auguste Queneau and Joséphine Mignot...
’s Hundred Thousand Billion Poems
Hundred Thousand Billion Poems
Raymond Queneau’s Hundred Thousand Billion Poems or One hundred million million poems , published in 1961 , is a set of ten sonnets. They are printed on card with each line on a separated strip, like a heads-bodies-and-legs book...
, each reader will encounter not just poems
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
arranged in a different order, but different poems depending on the precise way in which they turn the sections of page.
Examples
An example of a cybertext is 12 Blue by Michael JoyceMichael Joyce
Michael Joyce is a professor of English at Vassar College, NY, USA. He is also an important author and critic of electronic literature....
. Depending on what link you choose or what portion of the diagram
Diagram
A diagram is a two-dimensional geometric symbolic representation of information according to some visualization technique. Sometimes, the technique uses a three-dimensional visualization which is then projected onto the two-dimensional surface...
on the side you pick you will be transferred to a different portion of the text. So in the end, you do not really finish reading the entire story or 'novel' you go through random pages and try piecing the story together yourself. You may never really 'finish' the story. But, because it is a cybertext the 'finishing' of the story is not as important as its impact on the reader, or on the conveyance. Stir Fry Texts, by Jim Andrews, is a cybertext where there are many layers of text, and as you move your mouse over the words, the layers beneath them are 'dug' through.
The House is another example of a cybertext where one might assume a description of the piece as follows:
It is an unruly text, the words don’t listen, you are not supreme. You are guided through the piece. This is a cybertext with minimal control. You watch as something unfolds before you, “a crumbling mania,” you must be able to go with the flow, to read texts upside down, to piece together a reflection of words, to be okay with texts half read disappearing or moving so far away so continuously that you can not make out those very important words.