Textual Machines: A Spring Symposium and Exhibit

Textual Machines is an international symposium exploring literary objects that produce texts through the material interaction with mechanical devices or procedures. We define “textual machines” as a perspective on literature and book objects where text is “a mechanical device for the production and consumption of verbal signs” (Espen J. Aarseth). From the symposium’s perspective, textual machines are not limited to a specific media or epoch, and include literary objects ranging from early modern movable books, to modern pop-up books, artist’s books, game books, concrete poetry, combinatory literature, electronic literature and interactive fictions. A distinctive feature of textual machines is that they invite readers to traverse text through the non-trivial manipulation of mechanistic devices or procedures: by navigating through hyperlinks, footnotes, marginalia or other semiotic cues, or by answering to configurational, exploratory or writing prompts.

Time: Friday April 17: 10:30 – 11:45 am & Saturday, April 18: 10 am - 6:30 pm.

Location: Graduate Reading Room, 3rd floor of the Main Library.

Organizers: Jonathan Baillehache, Miriam Jacobson, Luis Correa-Dìaz.

Click here to see the program.