One of the basic acts of scholarship for this concentration requires the discovery of parallel forms in two works of literature from separate systems. The scholar then interrogates the origins and purposes of the forms and tries to tease out the commonalities. Then, if the form seems to be prevalent in several systems, the scholar can attempt to introduce it into systems where it has never before existed. An example is the notion of variables, as used in mathematics and computer science. Both of those disciplines employ variables of a certain kind to stand for a whole host of possible instances. In algebra, the “x” often represents a single number from the set of all possible real numbers. In object-oriented computer science, the variable “current_child” can represent a single child out of the set of all possible children. Similar forms can be found in set theory and philosophy. A literary systems researcher investigates the “variable” forms from these systems, attempts to understand them comparatively, plays with pollinating their characteristics from one discipline to another, and experiments with introducing them in literary systems where they are not usually used. For instance, what does it mean to employ a “variable” in a novel? Is it as simple as a pronoun that floats from subject to subject?
Or is it more like "the murderer" in a whodunnit drama, where, until the killer is revealed at the end, "the murderer" can be any of the caracters?
However, scholarship in Literary Systems also operates at a higher level. Abstracting a meta-form from the relationship between several interesting, existing forms can help to generate useful variants and evolutions of literary forms. These meta-forms are tricky to define, being a sort of recipe for the discovery of new forms, and are often related to qualitative concepts such as abstraction, reduction, and algebraization. In this sense, one algebraicizes arithmetic to find algebra, and one algebraicizes algebra to find set theory. These concepts unify literary forms under the banner of a common purpose, and help us to discover related forms that might still be hiding in the dust.
My research methods also include experimentation with rule-based literary systems, as my final project involves an web application for writing and publishing hypertext stories, using forms that do not usually exist in web literature. I can experiment with translating old stories into this new media, and learn from what sorts of techniques and styles hypertext authors adopt for this new writing space. Promising future avenues for research include:
Developing a better sense of the relationships among literary forms. Does a construct as simple as a “noun” count as a form? If so, how does it relate to the higher-lever “analogy?”
Exploring the relationship between system design and authorial use. How does the accessibility and ease-of-use of a particular literary form affect the frequency and style with which it is employed by authors?
Looking for the boundaries of literary systems theory across textual space. In what disciplines do these concepts fail to work, or prove misleading?
Case studies of experiments with particular forms. Why does the “metaphor,” which seems to hold so much promise in programming languages, fail to function adequately in mathematics?
A general revision of the theoretical framework for literary systems. As I continue to read books, attend lectures, have conversations, and work with these systems, I’d like to continue revising the framework that I use to approach them, as new developments or flaws are uncovered.
