Combinatory Poetics

    After reading the chapter on Combinatory Poetics, one concept that stuck with me was the idea of "potential literature." It was interesting to think about how computers and "text machines" open the door for the automation of detailed stories and poems. The concept that a computer program could be intelligent enough to produce poems or even novels that would engage readers solely through automation is truly captivating. Combinatory poetics can produce incredibly strange but also truly beautiful works of literature and deserve recognition. This whole concept reminded me of our conversation in class about artificial intelligence and how far it has come. Combinatory poetics are truly the foundation for artificial intelligence; the blend of computer and human intelligence in the first forms of combinatory poetics paved the way for the modern AI. 

    I chose to look deeper at Christopher Strachey's Love Letters generator. Created in 1952, this work is considered the first computer program created to make literary text. It was interesting to learn that combinatory poetics is the oldest genre of electronic literature, and this love letter generator was even more intriguing as a played around with it more. For being one of the first literary text-creating computer programs, Love Letters is a well developed entity. I really enjoyed reading all of the strange versions of love letters this generator gifted me, using every noun, adjective, and verb related to love that one could think of. The letters don't quite make sense each time, but there is something lovely about the combination of phrases used within them. Link: https://www.gingerbeardman.com/loveletter/








Comments

  1. NataliaFebruary 6, 2023 at 7:27 AM

    Hello!! I also found it interesting that computers are intelligent enough to create poems. I liked your point that combinatory poetics is the foundation for artificial intelligence! Strachey's generator is very interesting! The letters truly don't always make sense, but it is lovely.

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