Technology and Poetry make strange bedfellows
Before the invention of the printing press, most literature was experienced through an oral tradition, where stories and tales were passed down from generation to generation by telling the story. Then, the printing press came along and suddenly the printed word was widely available, and changed the way people consumed literature.
Nowadays, it’s computers and other digital technology that’s changing the face of literature. In a recent article published by ScienceDaily (that’s right, a science journal published an article about poetry), gives a short chronicle of Maria Engberg who wrote her dissertation on the effects of technology on poetry:
She has analyzed works by English-speaking poets such as John Cayley, Stephanie Strickland, and Thomas Swiss. The focus is on space, time, movement, and word and image constructions. The poems were written, or rather created, with the help of computer technology and published on the Internet or CDs, for instance.
The article continues, giving an almost futuristic definition of how poetry can be experienced:
Some of the works can be experienced as three-dimensional installations, created in space using so-called vr-cubes and augmented-reality environments. Maria Engberg examines how the forms of the poems construct different reader roles that challenge traditional views of poetry and reading, formed by the visual conventions of the printed page.
While I’m always interested in the intersection between literature and technology, what interests me even more, especially in this story, is whether or not this will bring poetry back as a popular art form. Many in mainstream society view written poetry as boring and out-of-touch with everyday experience. But if poetry and technology are combined to create something entirely new, it might be enough to usher in a whole new movement in poetry that’s really appreciated by the masses.
I’m not holding my breath though. Poetry has a long way to go before coming back to its former glory (yes, there was a time when society really appreciated the art form). Also, many poets can’t continue being afraid of popularity and must shed the "elitist" attitude they inflict on the rest of society.
But this a step in the right direction. Just as ebooks might bring back reading novels as a popular activity, the creative use of computers might be able to bring back poetry from the brink of the grave.
Check out the entire ScienceDaily article here:
Computer poetry pushes the genre envelope
Related posts
- Gov. Blagojevich & poetry make strange bedfellows
- Spam as literature – turning junk email into poetry
- The problem with poetry today
- Why poetry matters
- Poetry Flourishes in the United Arab Emirates
Read More: Poetry, Technology
