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The Novel as Software

Posted by michael on from the write-once-run-anywhere dept.

LukePieStalker writes "Former English professor Eric Brown has published the first work in what he claims is a new literary category called the 'digital epistolary novel', or DEN. 'Intimacies', based on an 18th century novel, requires the DEN 1.2 software. The program's interface has windows for mock e-mail, instant messaging, Web browser and pager, through which the narrative unfolds. For those wishing to create their own works in this genre, Mr. Brown is marketing composition software called DEN WriterWare."

8 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. Great... by maan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great: first of all there's no link in the NY times article to find where this guy's homepage is. Then I go to google, and the first link is a guy named "Eric Brown" who's an FBI top ten wanted person. But hey, this Eric Brown has published a guide to all Eric Browns on the net. Thank you!

    Maan

  2. So basically.... by SkaOMatic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Interesting concept. Sometimes it would feel nice to virtually live another life in such a detailed manner. This one is making me sleepy.

    Now if only Microsoft could do something with this.....

    *naps in his cube dreaming of malware-infected reading materials*

  3. Been there done that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    "...if you join Sallah on his balloon journey, turn to page 31. If you decide to continue on your own, turn to page 46."

    Interesting idea. But new literary category? Please.

  4. When I first read this by jlechem · · Score: 3, Funny

    I imagined a choose your own adventure novel online. If you pick the machine gun turn to page 36 if you pick the rocket launcher turn to page 54.

    --
    Hold up, wait a minute, let me put some pimpin in it
    1. Re:When I first read this by Dun+Malg · · Score: 5, Funny
      I imagined a choose your own adventure novel online. If you pick the machine gun turn to page 36 if you pick the rocket launcher turn to page 54.

      Heh. Choose your own FPS.

      You got the rocket launcher!
      . If you run at him and fire, go to 71
      . If you choose to bunny-hop to the side while firing, go to 13

      pg71 - ***BLAM!*** he totally rocket blasts you and GIBS fly everywhere! U sux0rz!
      . Respawn at page 1

      pg13 - ***SPLACK!*** you totally gibbed him!
      . If you pick up his ammo, go to 19
      . if you keep firing, go to 62

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  5. The opening act... except by lacrymology.com · · Score: 3, Funny

    You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
    There is a small mailbox here.

    WTF?!?

    -m

    --

    #
    # Modus Ponens
    #
  6. Re:Question about novel piracy by maxwell+demon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, you cannot pirate a novel, since if you copy it, it's not novel any more, is it?

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  7. Narrative through technology? by mopslik · · Score: 3, Funny

    The program's interface has windows for mock e-mail, instant messaging, Web browser and pager, through which the narrative unfolds.

    Just browsing through the table of contents...

    Chapter I: John deletes his spam
    Chapter II: John closes a million popups
    Chapter III: John deletes more spam
    Chapter IV: John cybers **hotChIcKa69**
    Chapter V: John deletes more spam and sets up a new mail client
    Chapter VI: John closes more popups, installs Mozilla
    Chapter VII: John deletes more spam, puts his fist through the monitor
    Chapter VIII: John goes to the hospital
    ...