»Possibilities for text in the digital world« The aesthetic cultivation of analysis tools from corpus linguistics and bots in contemporary generative literature – using the example of the text collective 0x0a

Abstract

By discussing selected works of text collective 0x0a, the article presents a rigorous type of generative digital literature. For producing its texts, the collective utilizes processes employed for textual analysis common in corpus linguistics as well as algorithms, scripts, and bots. Hannes Bajohr’s novel Durchschnitt (2015) – conceptualized as a contemporary answer to the problem of literary canon – presents the results of his »distant reading« of the German literary canon. Astonishingly, this takes place in the form of a novel that requires a »close reading«. In nachrichten futur (2015), Gregor Weichbrodt brings together current developments in social media, journalism, and politics. Both approaches argue for incorporating digital methods and language technologies into the »arsenal of contemporary literature.«.