Conclusion: Four Propositions

My book concludes by briefly drawing out four general themes—or propositions—from the previous three essays that seem to me characteristic of the new kinds of writing that I have been concerned with: (1) That they work across and, in some cases, against genre; (2) That they ‘perform their content’ (or that style, syntax and other formal devices are crucial); (3) That different forms of collaboration (not always or only with human actors) is also often in play; and (4) That this writing is often involved in different scenes (or can even help bring these about). I end with a coda in which I reflect on the writing of this book and on the importance of constructing our own writing machines.