Translating dice-roll data into a story is more an act of composition than translation, which is not to say that translation is a simple matter. George Steiner, in After Babel, has argued that translation is not only difficult , but well nigh impossible. The translation that Hindmarch describes is closer to a young Ronald Reagan’s play-by-play radio broadcasts of baseball games he couldn’t actually see. Translating dice-roll data into a story is more an act of composition than translation, which is not to say that translation is a simple matter. George Steiner, in After Babel, has argued that… continue

The participation of the reader in a text has been a lively topic in literary theory for some time. While Hindmarch contends that “[a] novel is already complete when it is read,” many theorists would take issue with this claim. Perhaps the most fully developed manifestation of this position has been formulated with regard to poetry, rather than fiction, by L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets like Charles Bernstein and Lyn Hejinian. The participation of the reader in a text has been a lively topic in literary theory for some time. While Hindmarch contends that “[a] novel is already complete when it is read,”… continue

R. M. Berry’s recent novel Frank offers a variation on Mary Shelly’s overreacher ur-text Frankenstein. ebr contains a debate between Joseph Tabbi and Berry inspired by Tabbi’s review of the novel. R. M. Berry’s recent novel Frank offers a variation on Mary Shelly’s overreacher ur-text Frankenstein. ebr contains a debate between Joseph Tabbi and Berry inspired by Tabbi’s review of the novel.

In his contribution to Second Person Greg Costikyan imagines how to move beyond the beads-on-a-string model of game play. In his contribution to Second Person Greg Costikyan imagines how to move beyond the beads-on-a-string model of game play.

Costikyan’s contention that some games aren’t enhanced by the addition of story relies on the difference between play and narrative. In other words games don’t necessarily require stories. Costikyan’s contention that some games aren’t enhanced by the addition of story relies on the difference between play and narrative. In other words games don’t necessarily require stories. Walter Benn Michaels, in The Shape of the Signifier, argues that games also don’t rely on the subject position of the players, or on their beliefs: “In chess, for example, the person playing white doesn’t think the person… continue