Technologies of Humanism
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this literature course on non-sequential, multi-linear, and interactive narrative forms as they evolved from print to digital media. Readings span the Talmud, classic non-linear novels, experimental literature, early sound and film experiments, and contemporary interactive films and games, paired with theoretical texts on authorship, readership, plot versus story, and the properties of hypertext. Students examine how digression, multiple points of view, and disruptions of time and space function structurally, and debate what counts as non-sequentiality or interactivity and how much depends on the text, the reader, or the format. The course materials include a syllabus, reading lists, and assignments as posted on MIT OCW, free to access with no certificate offered. It suits readers interested in narrative theory, digital media studies, or the history of experimental storytelling before and after computers.