The more I watch these videos the more I question whether I enjoy them ore not. Yes, they are great break from the normality of “usual” poetry or novels. However, there is only so much you can watch of this stuff before it loses the the novelty.
“Bust Down the Doors!” really is what pushed me over the edge of not truly enjoying the work. I read and watch the first one, and have no problem understanding the story of a break-in. But then I have to listen to Microsoft Sam and lose all focus. I have to give them credit is very very creative, not the story, but the different ways of presenting the material. Does it matter that it probably took them five minutes to throw this together? Not really. But they could have used something other than the generic windows voice that reminds me of Radiohead, but that might be the very reason this gets old so fast.
The idea is not overly creative, to be honest anyone could have made these, but they thought of the idea first. And I think that is the reason why it grows old, we all combine different parts of programs and make things everyday. When you upload pictures you have to create a caption, crop your photo, and upload it to the internet. That is really all that is happening here, so going back to the one we watched last week, “The Art of Sleep,” is uploading a picture and caption on facebook art? I know this is not the same as facebook uploading, but it seems almost out of date. I know its the first time I’ve seen anything of this nature, but really can we see this lasting more than 25 years? In my opinion no. Technology advances, and people are always wanting the newest and best gadgets. But the likes of Hemmingway and Larsen will always be there with their paperback or if you prefer ebook. But one day this “literature” will not run on the most up-to-date flash player. Which makes me feel like this is a fad, great at first but tiring after a while.
You’re right, Drew, that one of the problems with YHCHI is that it can quickly lose its novelty. And then we’re forced to confront the questions of whether or not it belongs in our class. I’m inclined to think that it is (and I’m obviously in control), but I will concede that others’ opinions could differ for good reasons.
You’re also right to think about the durability of a text like this. If the Internet ages enough, they will no longer run. Some of the most important electronic literature of the last decade no longer works properly because computers no longer have the right software and the authors don’t keep patching the pieces. As literary scholars, we have to ask ourselves what is worth preserving.