I find this idea in itself to be very compelling, much like in a choose your own adventure story where pages are used in a different order (and varying contexts) depending on the reader's choice. In this case, it is the computer randomly choosing.

I think that this synthesizes the difficulties with defining 'electronic literature' quite well. Attempts to define it act as limitations. Stephans clarifies the discussion in the previous link about the divegant terms used and the difficulties in identifying how people are talking about the field. Without a common purpose in the act of creation, I find it hard to see it has a field per se. It feels more open than that.

As part of a paper on the emergence of electronic literature as a field of study and practice, this section serves the purpose of distinguishing how the varying terms used have changed over time, while addressing how difficult it is to pinpoint the usage of terms (especially ones that are so non-specific). The author's argument comes down to how the term 'electronic literature' itself is elusive and an understanding of the divergent terminology is helpful in understanding the growth of the field.

This is an interesting avenue for consideration. The question of what is literary, of course, extends into solely print publications as well (and the discussion, for example, of genre fiction). In the case of electronic literature, the difference in the experience of the work adds a completely other dimension.

I love this line - "the confrontation with technology at the level of creation" - as I think it evokes such a wonderful image of how we can approach the idea of electronic literature.