Rebooting Electronic Literature, Volume 4

Social Media Content for Traversal of Eric Steinhart’s "Fragments of the Dionysian Body"

Because human experience with born-digital literary works is the focus of the Pathfinders Methodology on which Rebooting Electronic Literature is built, the Electronic Literature Lab incorporates social media during Live Stream Traversal as a way to expand the audience for the event and document audience responses to the work. We found that doing so also captures more of the depth and richness of the scholarly conversation surrounding these works and allowed for recording the ensuing conversation for posterity. The following are postings on Twitter that promoted the live Traversal of Fragments of the Dionysian Body prior to the event and thanked the participants after the event.
 
 

Twitter 

The Electronic Literature Lab used their Twitter account to post promotional content regarding the Traversal of Fragments of the Dionysian Body.





















































































Facebook 

The Electronic Literature Lab used their Facebook account to post promotional content regarding the Traversal of Fragments of the Dionysian Body.























Instagram 

The Electronic Literature Lab used its Instagram account to post promotional content regarding the Traversal of Fragments of the Dionysian Body.

















YouTube Live Chat 

Because Traversals are all streamed live via YouTube, the lab takes advantage of the chat feature offered by the network to provide a forum for the audience to make comments and ask questions. The chat is then saved and added to this book as part of the Traversal archive. The Traversal can be watched on YouTube here.



Electronic Literature Lab
Welcome to the Live Stream

Electronic Literature Lab
Welcome to the Live Stream Traversal of Eric Steinhardt's Fragments of the Dionysian Body, performed by Dr. Anna Nacher

Electronic Literature Lab
We will start at noon. Thank you for joining us!



Electronic Literature Lab
You can see that the onsite audience is arriving.

Electronic Literature Lab
We will start in 5 minutes

Electronic Literature Lab
Eric Steinhardt’s Fragments of the Dionysian Body was published in 1997 by Eastgate Systems, Inc. with Hypercard 2.0.

Electronic Literature Lab
Specifically Hypercard 2.2

Electronic Literature Lab
The work was bundled with two files: the HyperCard stack “HyperNietzche” and John Conway’s program “Game of Life”

Electronic Literature Lab
The copy used for this Traversal is a pristine copy published on a CD-ROM in 1997.

Electronic Literature Lab
Grigar bought this copy directly from Eastgate Systems, Inc. in the mid-2000s

Electronic Literature Lab
This work joins David Kolb’s Socrates in the Labyrinth (1994) as one of the few hypertexts that address philosophy.

Electronic Literature Lab
When considered together, Kolb asks, “Can philosophical writing be non-sequential writing?” while Steinhardt asks, “Can philosophy be taught non-sequentially?”



Electronic Literature Lab
Aphoristic writing works well as hypertext b/c it is chunked text much like hypertext lexias.

Electronic Literature Lab
This work is intended to be a “travelers guide to the intricacies of Nietzche’s The Gay Science.” It also references his The Will to Power.

Electronic Literature Lab
Steinhart tested his hypertext on his students in 1995 in his course on Existentialism at Dartmouth U

Nicholas Schiller
So, getting lost in the work is an *affordance* of the work and the medium? I like this.

Electronic Literature Lab
Just as one gets lost in philosophical ideas

Electronic Literature Lab
Ontology: what we are in the world

Electronic Literature Lab
Epistemology: how we come to know the world

Nicholas Schiller
"A system of relations" is a way of describing a graph database as well. (Graph databases are what allow large/huge sets of data to be searched. Facebook is based on graph data.)

Electronic Literature Lab
Anna just mentioned that the title is derived from a Provencal term, "gai saber," and reflects his views on the art of poetry.



Electronic Literature Lab
Anna is looking at perspective 15 in her copy of Nietzche's The Gay Science

Electronic Literature Lab
Universities often do not require the study of philosophy any longer

Electronic Literature Lab
This means students may not know who Friedrich Nietzsche is

Electronic Literature Lab
Nietzche lived from 1844 to 1900.

Electronic Literature Lab
Steinhardt is also a philosopher and also a computer scientist

Electronic Literature Lab
He is currently working at William Patterson U in the Dept of Philosophy where he specializes in metaphysics and the Philosophy of Religion.

Electronic Literature Lab
Will audience members identify themselves?

Nicholas Schiller
Hello, I'm Nicholas Schiller

Kathleen Zoller
Was the grid introduced in "the game of life" a feature of HyperCard 2.0?

Electronic Literature Lab
Yes, it is one of the two files bundled with the work

Electronic Literature Lab
But with only this work

Dakota Martin
Hello, everyone!



Lindsey Barber
Hello!

Electronic Literature Lab
Hi Dakota!

Electronic Literature Lab
Hi Lindsey!

Electronic Literature Lab
I know there are folks who will be receiving credit for attending online, so please make sure you identify yourself for the record

Electronic Literature Lab
The study of artificial life is an interesting one

Nicholas Schiller
Even the definition of artificial life is interesting!

Kathleen Zoller
It's interesting that the speed of the cell's movement can be altered. It seems to symbolize how different living creatures have varying lifespans

Electronic Literature Lab
If you want to know more about it, read Silicon Second Nature by Stefan Helmrich

Nicholas Schiller
<thank you>

Kathleen Zoller
Thank you! I'll look into it

Electronic Literature Lab
It's important to know The Gay Science is also known as The Joyful Wisdom and was published in 1882 with a 2nd edition released in 1886.



Electronic Literature Lab
The 2nd edition was expanded to five books and an appendix of songs. The philosopher considered it his most personal book.

Electronic Literature Lab
Hypercard uses the metaphor of a "stack of cards" for structuring hypertexgt

Electronic Literature Lab
So, you see that arrow on the bottom right of the screen pointing up as if going up the stack to the top

Electronic Literature Lab
Hi Jeremy!

Electronic Literature Lab
Right connection: hypertext is the gay science

Nicholas Schiller
Dene recoments Roland Barthes' Pleasures of the Text, so let's read it!

Electronic Literature Lab
Any questions from the online audience?

C D
This is so awesome!

Tom Andersen
I agree

Electronic Literature Lab
thanks!

Michael Rabby
Thanks!

C D
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard on this! Good Job!!



bgrell
Such an interesting discussion! Much appreciate everybody's work!

Tom Andersen
Great job!! This was interesting

 

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