Ambient Novel

[gothwalk]

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

Somewhere over the weekend, the concept of an ambient novel arrived in my mental lexicon. However, I’m not sure who mentioned it. I’ve checked the usual suspects - Cybermind, some of the more brilliant thinkers on my LJ friends list (two of whom are brother and sister, come to think of it), and so on, and I ain’t finding it. Web searches bring up only references to Digital Leatherette. Own up, who brought this to my attention? It’s following me around, nipping at my mental heels.

Comments

[mytholder.livejournal.com]

http://www.forbeck.com/?p=586 ?

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

Not the one I was thinking of, but interesting all the same.

[kshandr.livejournal.com]

Gosh. Now *that* is a nice idea... I'm very into that.

[mytholder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm liking it a lot as well. I'm mentally re-envisioning House of Leaves done as a book like that.

[cartographer.livejournal.com]

A mental lexicon should be called a mexicon. And include the word 'gringo'.

[m0usegrrl.livejournal.com]

Warren Ellis (http://syndicated.livejournal.com/warrenelliscom/611472.html), perhaps?

~mousie

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

Aha! Exactly! Thank you!

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

something you drift in and out of, draw inspiration from, savour the evocations it causes. Something you forget you’re reading

What Warren Ellis says about the ambient novel sounds a lot like how I read my friends list. Sometimes it's crucially important; sometimes it's wallpaper. Some bits I concentrate on more than others...

[mollydot.livejournal.com]

I wish I read it more like that. I approach it - I get inspired or taken away by something, but then I ruin it by either reading the next entry about mundane stuff or, ahem, getting back to work. Or even if the next entry is good/interesting, it'll generally be in a different way that removes the thoughts and feelings from the previous one.

I fear I'm information/word addicted. I just hoover them up without savouring.