Electronic Literature at the Dawn of the 21st century: The Case of Reiner Strasser and M.D. Coverley’s ii-in the white darkness: about [the fragility of] memory

This essay attempts to capture the digital turn that took place at the start of the twenty-first century with emphasis placed on an early e-lit work, by Reiner Strasser and M.D. Coverley (Marjorie Luesebrink) titled ii-in the white darkness: about [the fragility of] memory (2003–2004). This online multimedia narrative serves as a lens through which light is shed on the cultural shift that took place at the start of the 2000s due to internet expansion and the popularization of a number of software tools, as is Flash, whose use widened the spectrum of creative expression and interdisciplinary collaboration. With the use of examples from the primary source and various theoretical insights, this essay talks about the reading habits that have been formulated and the interweaving of literary elements with digital textuality. As for the reference to the current obsolescence of the Flash technology, the essay considers the risks digital ephemerality entails.