The ineluctable obscureness which an ordinary non-used to cybertextuality reader tangles into when he or she meets a in writing novel such as “ Inanimate Alice ” is an unquestionable cogent evidence that e-literature and its sub-genres are highly hard to sketch and stipulate in conformity with stereotyped “ frames ” established by literary theory. But still, no reader in the twenty-first century can afford the blue luxury to be “ ordinary ” ; therefore we all want to see more from what is called e-lit, even if we do non grok it at foremost. As Espen Aarseth points out, one can non understand cybertextualty unless they get familiar with it ; otherwise seeking to explicate its footing leads nowhere. ( Aarseth ) The truth is that nowadays reading means much more than merely turning the pages of an old midst dusty book. When there is the opportunity to enrich our reading by adding multiple effects such as music, images and synergistic activities the best thing we could make is seek to take advantage of the chance. If we dare. But allow me travel back to the inquiry of genre. It has been widely discussed by many literary theoreticians for decennaries so that now we are supposed to label each piece of literary work with its proper genre easy, every bit far as our literacy allows us. Nevertheless, electronic literature is something rather different and hence hard to put in the already bing forms. In my paper I am traveling to briefly outline some of the theories of electronic literature and its development, purposes, Godheads and receivers. To exemplify it all practically, I am traveling to compose about my brush with the in writing novel “ Inanimate Alice ” and the possibilities to utilize it learning kids to bask reading.

Electronic literature has been deriving popularity for more than 20 old ages, so there are plentifulness of definitions seeking to explicate what precisely it is. In her essay “ Electronic Literature: What is it? ” N. Katherine Hayles quotes the definition given by The Electronic Literature Organization: “ work with an of import literary facet that takes advantage of the capablenesss and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computing machine. ” ( Hayles ) . However, new engineering is being developed really rapidly, which on the other manus makes its advantages assorted and limitless. This whole procedure leads to really interesting hybridisation or syncretism between literary plants and modern-day electronic media such as web logs, societal webs and of class computing machine games. Uniting reading, which most kids today find instead deadening, with a computing machine game – a field where even immature scholars are rather experient ; can take to the creative activity of a really impressive and appealing merchandise of e-lit. As a affair of fact non merely the demand to be available merely in electronic media but besides the ability readers to go non mere users but active participants in this literature make it so attractive to immature coevals. Having in head its sensational pertinence to our modern-day “ electronic ” life style, N. Katherine Hayles sees e-lit as “ the intercrossed offspring of an interspecies copulating between computing machine games and literary traditions ” ( Hayles ) . It is rather obvious that benefits outweigh any possible disadvantages in the comparing between electronic literature and literature in print, every bit far as responses from kids and striplings is concerned. However, we can non oppose these signifiers of literature because they overlap to some extend and the latter continues the traditions of the former.

Actually the whole procedure of making, administering and comprehending electronic literature is rather singular. Let me get down with the function of the writer which here is possibly closer to Roland Barthes ‘ footings than anyplace else. The writer of electronic literature is about ne’er one individual. In the instance of ‘Inanimate Alice ” there are three people closely involved in making the concluding merchandise: the novelist Kate Pullinger who wrote the text, the in writing interior decorator Chris Joseph who is practically in charge of doing the text e-lit, and Ian Harper who got the thought brought to life by Pullinger and Joseph. Up to here it seems rather logical that making something as synergistic and flexible as a piece of electronic literature is more frequently than non a consequence of squad work.

After being created jointly, the literary “ message ” should be delivered to the reader. However, the channel, the bearer, is different – it is no longer a book or a printed beginning but an electronic device – a computing machine, a kindle reader or even a nomadic phone. The advantages of multi media are accessible merely through such devices, moreover they are rather widespread in the epoch of new engineerings. So if in the yesteryear it was about impossible for illustration to compose a research paper without disbursement yearss in the library, nowadays you can make it without even traveling out of your sleeping room every bit long as you have entree to the Internet. Generally speech production, the conditions you need to read e-lit are more or less the same as to play a picture or computing machine game – a suited device and a set of earphones in order to hear the sounds. Therefore one can read electronic literature everyplace: in the coach, in the park, at work – wherever they are pleased to. As Michael Benedikt writes in “ Cyberspace ” mentioning to practical world: “ one topographic point limitless ; entered every bit from a cellar in Vancouver, a boat in Port-au-Prince, a cab in New York, a garage in Texas City, an flat in Rome, an office in Hong Kong, a saloon in Kyoto, a cafe in Kinshasa, a research lab on the Moon ” ( Benedikt ) .

As the writer and the signifier of literature have changed the same can be said about the reader who is no longer a mere receiver but – speech production with the footings of the Internet – a user. The reader/user issue is discussed by N. Katherine Hayles in her book “ Writing Machines ” where she outlines differences and similarities between them and the manner these two footings overlap. Furthermore, what matters is that this reader/user has a cardinal function non merely in decrypting and construing the piece of synergistic fiction ( IF ) , but besides in take parting in its completion or development. This handiness to changeless alterations makes Lev Manovich notice that in the internet there is no manner to claim and keep writing or right of first publication, particularly if you aim at popularity. He points out that new media gives us a diverseness of chances to make new signifiers and genres of art ( including literary art ) : “ The greatest synergistic work is the synergistic human-computer interface itself. “ ( Manovich ) Harmonizing to him the hereafter holds many more betterments in our life and civilization due to the development of new engineering and electronic media.

One of the advantages electronic media give us is the chance to prosecute the receiver ‘s attending about wholly, which automatically makes it reasonably desirable in the schoolroom. It is non necessary to be a instructor to detect that in most of the instances educational systems merely seek to do kids memorise as much useless information as possible without supplying them with chances to utilize it. What electronic literature offers is something advanced: a manner to take part in the narrative you are reading while you are to the full engaged with the supporter ‘s experience. I chose to discourse “ Inanimate Alice ” because as a instructor to immature scholars ( 4th and 5th class ) I find it rather applicable to the linguistic communication degree of my students, but most significantly – it is synergistic and merriment. Furthermore, following the escapades of the supporter all over the universe makes them analyze different topics besides English: geographics, art, scientific discipline, etc.

The undertaking grabbed my attending foremost by its rubric – “ Inanimate Alice ” – which reminded me somehow of Lewis Carroll ‘s celebrated character with the same name whose escapades I used to immerse myself into as a kid. But if there can be any intertextuality at all between those two heroines it lies merely in their names and their adventuresome liquors suppressed by their only life in world. While Carroll ‘s Alice makes up her ain wonderland, Inanimate Alice draws hers with the aid of a multifunctional participant – a appliance which she carries everyplace and even creates her fanciful friend Brad with its aid. After reconsidering those similarities, I notice that literary tradition has after all been used as background of this new multi-media e-lit merchandise but it has besides been improved and developed further in conformity with modern-day kids ‘s life style. So in my sentiment it is much closer to them than the text in print.

“ Inanimate Alice ” is a digital novel which consists of several chapters ( episodes ) , four of which are available on its home page – inanimatealice.com. It is about the life of a immature miss – Alice, whose parents often move to different states because of her male parent ‘s occupation. The novel starts when she is merely 8 old ages old and continues to her twentiess. Furthermore, each episode lasts twice every bit long as the old and the particular supernumeraries such as games, sounds and activities become more assorted and complicated. Talking with the footings of an e-lit gamer – the degree gets higher in conformity with the supporter ‘s adulthood. The older Alice becomes, the more complicated her escapades are and the more profoundly the reader is engaged in them. Therefore, the different episodes and all the activities around them are suited for kids at different age, matching to their cognition and life-experience. Let us take a speedy expression at each of the four available episodes and see what makes them a good illustration of electronic literature every bit good as the victor of the 2012 award for best web site for learning and acquisition.

The first episode starts with really brief instructions how to run with the digital novel. Even though it is a multi-media merchandise, from the really get downing the reader can state that it is neither a movie, nor a videogame but a wholly different merchandise incorporating elements of both movies and games but besides literature, picture taking and web-design. Alice introduces herself on the black screen with white letters: “ My name is Alice. I am 8 old ages old. ” The letters appear on the screen as if she is composing on her participant, adding music and images to her narrative. In the beginning when she says her male parent has been losing for two yearss, so she and her female parent are traveling to go forth the base cantonment where they live in order to look for him, the music is fast and makes the atmosphere dying. It continues this manner during most of their long journey in their landrover in a non-defined unpeopled topographic point in China. Alice uses her participant to demo us a map of the state while she goes on with her narrative about her household. She talks about her instead lone life with her female parent who tutors her while her male parent is absent working. However, she has found a manner to divert herself – she uses her participant for about everything: drawing, playing ba-xi, taking exposures of their place and demoing them to us ( the readers ) . We can seek to play the game of ba-xi on her participant as an excess to her narrative so that we are able to see something from her universe. She besides shows us her fanciful friend Brad whom she has drawn once more with the aid of her favourite participant. When her female parent orders her to turn the participant off, we see how alone Alice is, because she starts woolgathering about seeing Brad once more and even thinks she hears his voice. Alice lists the things she would wish to make if she were place, which include playing with a Canis familiaris and siting a motorcycle – evidently these one time really common kids activities are non that common any longer, particularly for a miss like her. When they eventually find her pa whose landrover has broken down, she asks her parents to acquire a Canis familiaris although she knows it is non likely to go on. The continuance of the whole episode is about five proceedingss. There are many images and drawings included but the chief characters are present merely through words – we ne’er see their images so that we do non comprehend them as characters from a sketch. The drawing of Brad is the lone character that we can see because Alice shows him to us. The episode is rather an interesting piece of electronic literature both because of its syncretism and its mark group – kids. Its educational value is in showing geographic and cultural facts as parts of a game so kids can larn while they are holding merriment with Alice ‘s participant.

Cultural individuality and the ability to accept distinctness are besides important factors in all the episodes. The 2nd portion lasts ten proceedingss and takes topographic point in Italy where Alice ‘s household is on vacation. We see her conversation with her Sitter from Saudi Arabia who Alice describes as “ really cool ” . There is no spiritual or cultural bias – Alice communicates rather freely and openly with people from different states. Except her Arabian Sitter, we see her speaking to a Russian military adult male in episode 3 ( when her household tries to get away from Russia ) and doing friends with kids from different races and states in episode 4 ( when her household lives in London ) . Therefore Alice is a really adaptable and tolerant character who teaches kids to accept the others the manner they are. Her escapades can be used as a tool of instruction and acquisition in every schoolroom – that is why the undertaking has become so popular with instructors from all over the universe. Harmonizing to Alan Mill ‘s article ( Mills ) instructors from at least 27 states have downloaded episodes of “ Inanimate Alice ” and successfully utilize them for the demands of their instruction. The pertinence of the digital novel to learning kids at different age groups is due non merely to its instead additive narrative construction ( stating the narrative of Alice ) but besides to the extra elements such as games in which kids can take part, and of class the fact that we “ talk to kids utilizing their ain medium ” ( Mills ) .

Electronic literature is going rather popular with different age groups, but I chose to concentrate on one peculiar point aiming largely kids, because harmonizing to me they are the coevals which is traveling to do digital literature more popular than literature in print. Even though I am instead fond of ‘real ‘ books myself, I can non deny the advantages of electronic literature. So, for the intents of my instruction pattern and for my students ‘ interest I would urge that kids should read more digital novels such as “ Inanimate Alice ” . They are a fantastic, prosecuting and animating manner of learning kids to read with pleasance from a immature age, which I consider really of import for their farther reading experience.