Spencer, A 
ORCID: 0000-0002-6786-4706
(2025)
'Ambient literature and the language of place.'
In:
Oxford research encyclopedia of literature.
Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Abstract
Ambient literature raises questions about the future of reading, particularly about forms of situated, mobile reading afforded by digital technologies where a reader is invited to examine the peripheries of an immersive, digital experience. This literary form—where story, either fiction or non-fiction, is rooted in place and accessed using a smartphone—not only contains the authored words that are presented to a reader on a screen but also the subtler language found in the surrounding environment, which can also be “read.” The interplay between these two languages—the authored narrative and the language of place—can be used to create immersive digital literary works that make use of data and require readers to engage with context and situation as part of the reading experience. A reader of a work of ambient literature experiences not only words but also context and situation as part of the reading experience. There are many unique aspects of both ambient authorship and reading practices—including the role of physical movement, unpredictability, and the blurring of boundaries between author, reader, and environment. Therefore, a definition of this digital literary form must consider the complex relationships between data, place, and story in shaping both the reading experience and the process of authoring.
| Item Type: | Book Chapter or Section |
|---|---|
| UN SDGs: | Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure |
| Keywords: | ambient literature, digital reading, situated authorship, immersion, locative media, mobile storytelling |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) |
| Divisions: | School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities |
| Research Centres and Groups: | Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCCI) |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Sep 2025 10:44 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Sep 2025 10:44 |
| URN: | https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17307 |
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