The Literature of Exclusion: Dada, Data, and the Threshold of Electronic Literature

In the early twentieth century, the Dadaists protested against art, nationalism, the individual subject, and technologized war. Data today organizes, selects, combines, quantifies, and simplifies the complexity of actuality, similar to how Dada sought to "signify no thing." Both exclude human agency from self-narration but to differing degrees of abstraction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 324 pages
Publication date: 05 May 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

In the early 20th century, a group of artists known as the Dadaists took a bold stance against a range of societal issues, including art, nationalism, the individual subject, and the mechanization of war. Their unconventional approach was characterized by their automatic anti-art and their relentless pursuit of cultural disruption. Their ultimate goal was to "signify no thing," a concept that aimed to challenge the established norms and conventions of art and society.

Fast forward to the present day, and we find ourselves in a world where data plays a significant role. Like the Dadaists, data operates autonomously, capable of organizing, selecting, combining, quantifying, and simplifying the complexity of reality. However, unlike the Dadaists, who sought to dismantle tradition, data organizes and simplifies the world around us without necessarily questioning its underlying principles.

While data may not have the same explicit purpose as the Dadaists, it nonetheless signifies nothing. It operates without intention, following a set of algorithms and processes that are governed by mathematical equations and computer code. Like the Dadaists, data excludes human agency from self-narration, but to varying degrees of abstraction.

In his book, "The Threshold of Sensible Narration," Wenaus examines the work of various artists, including B.R. Yeager, Samuel Beckett, Jeff Noon, Kenji Siratori, Mike Bonsall, Allison Parrish, and narratives written by artificial intelligence. Through this analysis, he explores the boundaries of sensible narration and the effects that the shift from a culture of language to a culture of digital code has on our lived experience.

While data offers a closed system, with its predictable patterns and algorithms, Dadaist literature of exclusion, on the other hand, promises a future of open, hyper-contingent, and unprescribed alternatives for self-narration. It encourages us to think beyond the limitations of traditional storytelling and to embrace the possibilities of a digital world that is constantly evolving and changing.

In conclusion, while data and Dadaism may have different approaches to the world, they both share a desire to challenge the status quo. Data organizes and simplifies the complexity of reality, while Dadaist literature of exclusion offers a future of open, hyper-contingent, and unprescribed alternatives for self-narration. By examining the work of these artists and thinkers, we can gain a deeper understanding of the threshold of sensible narration and the potential for new forms of self-expression in the digital age.

Weight: 662g
Dimension: 228 x 164 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793614636