The Challenges of Born-Digital Fiction
Editions, Translations, and Emulations

The Element introduces digital preservation standards and methods for translating media via emulation, migration, and reconstruction.

Dene Grigar (Author), Mariusz Pisarski (Author)

9781009507370, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 March 2024

94 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1 cm, 0.285 kg

The Challenges of Born-Digital Fiction: Editions, Translations, and Emulations addresses the growing concern about how best to maintain and extend the accessibility of early interactive novels and hypertext fiction or narratives. These forms of born-digital literature were produced before or shortly after the mainstreaming of the World Wide Web with proprietary software and on formats now obsolete. Preserving and extending them for a broad study by scholars of book culture, literary studies, and digital culture necessitate they are migrated, translated, and emulated – yet these activities can impact the integrity of the reader experience. Thus, this Element centers on three key challenges facing such efforts: (1) precision of references: identifying correct editions and versions of migrated works in scholarship; (2) enhanced media translation: approaching translation informed by the changing media context in a collaborative environment; and (3) media integrity: relying on emulation as the prime mode for long-term preservation of born-digital novels.

1. Introduction: welcome to the fun house!
1. Emulation
2. Migration and translation
3. Editions and versions
4. Preserving endangered works of born-digital
5. Literature: final thoughts
References.

Subject Areas: Literary theory [DSA]