Media, Technology and the Imagination

The dynamic, precarious relationship between technology and imagination, or more broadly, between the sciences and the humanities, is a thrilling crux, offering possibilities scholars and artists of previous generations might have only hoped for in the most abstract way. No longer is technological advancement confined to the laboratory or to the pages of speculative fiction; it is an accepted, expected aspect of modern existence, including contemporary art, performance and literature. From the ways we communicate to the ways we create, technology has become a conduit as well as an inspiration for imaginative innovation. The advent and accessibility of new media, communication outlets and innovative software programs have democratized the creative landscape, building a community of professionals and amateurs who can freely discuss and shape the way literature, art and performance are created and perceived. Just as technology has been liberated from categorical confines, it has helped art and literature be realized as entities that occur in places besides galleries and libraries. Tablets and e-readers, for example, make it possible for literary enthusiasts to read books that are out of print, difficult to find or even self-published by amateur writers, which would have merely been a bibliophile’s dream as little as a decade ago. Correspondingly, the essays in this volume examine the intersection of technology and imaginative creation as it applies to and influences modern film, fiction, graphic novels and pedagogical practice. The contributors investigate how technology has indelibly changed the practice of literary and cultural analysis and even the most basic facets of contemporary society: communication, relation and creation.