Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 2. 2019 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Apr-Jun) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) REVIEW ARTICLE TWITTER FICTION: AN EXPRESSION OF EXPERIMENTAL POSTMODERN E-LITERATURE SHUBHAM YADAV M.A. ENGLISH LITERATURE, Dr. HARISINGH GOUR CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, SAGAR (M.P.) [email protected] https://doi.org/10.33329/rjelal.7219.128 ABSTRACT The present paper mainly discusses how literary art is redefined in the contemporary digital age and examines Twitter fiction as a revolutionary genre of digital literature. Social media has undeniably transformed the world in this age of the internet, and also it has massively affected the world of literature as well. Twitter, specifically has become a successful social platform for the exchange of ideas, news, and information. It has a global reach and is used on a daily basis by millions of people. Twitter has now become a representative frontier medium of E- literature which allows a unique mode of digital storytelling that facilitates creative literary snippets. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” as stated by Shakespeare. Twitter is swiftly becoming an experimental platform for both new and established writers as they are increasingly taking part in producing 280 characters’ literary works on Twitter. The popularity of short stories Has swollen up with the rise of digital storytelling. a tweet can be an entire bite-sized story or even a glimpse of a broad story that requires readers' active imagination to complete. As Orson Welles once quoted: “The absence of limitations is the enemy of art”, numerous writers are publishing fiction on Twitter, thus embracing the challenge of the 280-character limit and are persistently coming up with creativity in storytelling techniques. Conventional critics might resist, but Twitter literature: i.e. Twitterature, is just a new leap in a long history of experimentation in literature. This paper proposes that twitter can be considered as an expression of experimental postmodern, E-literature platform which can assure the revival of fiction reading habit which is persistently declining from the interest of tech enthusiastic generation. Keywords – Twitter, Digital, Literature, Constrained Writing, Fiction, Art. Introduction access, cloud storage, development of AR, AI, software, bots, Translation technology, There have been several technological smartphones, and Social media networks, all transformative shifts in the last few years. became important platforms and marketplaces for Technology’s effect has touched every corner of digital works. All of these technological shifts are today’s world. Its commercial, social, educational now deciding how the new literature would be and political impact has been unprecedented, and it written in direct and subtle ways. has also made an enormous impact on the literature as well. The introduction of superfast internet 128 SHUBHAM YADAV Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 2. 2019 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Apr-Jun) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) As technology advanced, people have misunderstand the use of literature. In itself, changed the way of how they write. As of April literature is media, a tool for messaging, 2019, 56.1% of the world's population has internet communication, an art, and more often is social, access, and 81% of the developed world. The reliant upon interaction with at least one other number of Internet users is growing at an human being. All media are platforms of human extraordinary pace. It can somewhat show how communication and expression, and in this sense, all much people like to interact on social media. The media, including literature, is social. Perhaps it is a new generation is given much more opportunities time for fiction reading to adapt to the than the old generation to write, by social media. technological climate in order to remain relevant Social media provides an open platform for all and exciting. people. We can broadcast our views to the world, Altogether if we look at Definitions of the potentially reaching millions of readers. As long as word literature, they tend to be circular. Some we are connected to the Internet, we are able to widely accepted Dictionaries like Oxford Dictionary, write on social media anytime and anywhere. After the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate all, Connection is a human need. Dictionary, English Cambridge dictionary, provides But critics don't view all such shifts toward definitions of literature which collectively refers to, the digital environment as favorable for literature. “a body of written works which holds an artistic Studies suggest a decline in fiction reading. A sharp value.” As an art, literature might be described as fall in literary fiction sales is visible. Arts Council the organization of words to give pleasure. Yet England (ACE) blames the rise of smartphones. through words, literature elevates and transforms Internet and Social media, in general, is taking the experience beyond "mere" pleasure. Developments blame for disconnecting young people from in technology has allowed an ever-growing literature. “Literature found itself at war with the distribution and proliferation of such pleasurable internet," as Jim Hinks, digital editor of Comma written works, culminating in electronic literature. Press, succinctly puts it. Whereas Author Tim Parks Orson Welles once quoted: “The absence of argues that our technology-shredded attention has limitations is the enemy of art.” definitively doomed the literature, Frequent Rhetorical constrained writing in literature- interruptions and endless distractions make it difficult to read novels in the 21st century. On the In "The Rhetorical Situation" (1968), Lloyd other hand, a novelist Will Self claims that "the Bitzer notes that are "made up of persons, events, literary novel as an artwork and a narrative art form objects, and relations which are part of the situation central to our culture is indeed dying before our because they have the power to constrain decision or eyes", Frank Kermode's comment from the 1960s, action." In other words, constrained writing is a that "the special fate of the novel, considered as a form of literary production in which the writer genre, is to be always dying", also make relevance. submits his/her text to specific formal constraints. We ‘like’ and ‘favorite’ our way through the day – such constraints function as boundaries and are not does this mean now we no longer like the literature? primarily intended as strict limitations but rather as Digital publishers Canelo pessimistically states that creative stimuli for the artistic process and thus “literary fiction is often ‘difficult’ and expensive: it contribute to a stronger focus on the criteria on isn’t free, and it requires more concentration than which genuine literature should be based. Most Facebook or Candy Crush”. “I don't really mind if fundamental are the constraints imposed by people stop reading big middlebrow Victorian novels language, accepted style, and grammar. Such – that's no great loss, and frankly I wouldn't miss constraint writing challenges the writer's skill. With Faulkner very much either." As the award-winning each new experiment, one might just find that novelist John Banville quoted. his/her poetry or prose becomes more distinctive or more refined. The author is free to focus on the Primarily, to position social media and ‘rule’. And approaching writing in this way can literature in opposition to one another is to 129 SHUBHAM YADAV Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 2. 2019 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Apr-Jun) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) unlock strange and exciting work that writers literature, most writers have their own personal couldn’t get in other ways. restrictions. Some claim constrained writing to be an The very first form of digital constraint exhibition of the notion that less is more. Others see writing emerged in the form of a cell phone novel, it as a cheap trick that limits expression and artistic or mobile phone novel. it is a literary work originally skill. Despite all, it became a recognized Oulipo written on a cellular phone via text messaging. This Movement in 1960s France and has generated many type of literature originated in Japan, where it interesting works. becomes a popular literary genre. Cell phone novels create personal space for each individual reader. As There is a long tradition of imposing Paul Levinson wrote in Cellphone, "nowadays, a constraints in the process of writing. In essence, writer can write just about as easily, anywhere, as a imposing limits can be freeing. This might sound reader can read" (p 20). paradoxical. But limitations in literature can be surprisingly liberating for writers Here are the few the phenomenon has brought a new most notable examples of constraint literature approach to literature, allowing a new vision to potentially redefine traditional writing and the 1. Gadsby by Ernest Vincent Wright-This 50,000- publishing world. also, it has brought out a new era word novel is completely devoid of the letter ‘E,’ the of minimalism and art. In each chapter, readers will most common letter in the English language. be able to experience narration, poetry and even 2. Le Train de Nulle Part (‘The Train from Nowhere’) visual arts in the use of carefully chosen line breaks, by Michel Thaler-This impressive 233-page novel, punctuation, rhythm and white space. Japan’s first written in 2004, does not contain a single verb. cell phone novel was produced by “Yoshi,” named 3. Never Again by Doug Nufer-True to its title, no "Deep Love: Ayu’s Story" (2003).