Aurality and Cyborg Poetry

This chapter intends to discuss aurality and the notion of cyborg poetry in the context of generative literature, or literature that is programmed to be automatically generated. By aurality we mean reading as listening (orality refers to speaking, aurality to listening). By cyborg poetry we mean a hybrid form of textuality. This reflection is based on two cybertexts in which language is inscribed through sound rather than written signs: THE LISTENERS, by John Cayley, and AIM BAD, by Jhave, both brought to the public in 2015. THE LISTENERS is a linguistic performance that takes place between humans and Alexa, Amazon’s home voice assistant. With this work, the author began to explore the concept of “aurature”: if literature comes from littera (letter), “aurature” comes from auris (ear). AIM BAD is an example of what Jhave calls cyborg poetry: the author programs a generator that produces texts that are read aloud non-linearly and intuitively as they are generated, making this reading a form of writing.