Communication &
Interaction module (which I should also mention stretches over two
semesters). The novel I’ve gone for is Jules Verne’s classic
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
I guess I chose this because for one it’s a story that would benefit a
visual accompaniment. Verne frequently describes the wonders of the sea
as being visually arresting and indescribable through the medium of
language, so I think some visual accompaniment would suit this book in
particular.
It’s then a matter of what other ways to make the book interactive
without interfering with how engrossed the reader is in the story, to
somehow make the relationship between the source text and the next
interactive elements more symbiotic than in current interactive
literature.
One idea I had was based around the main character of
20,000 Leagues
being a professor, and his avid habit of taking notes of what he sees
under the seas. His notes on species could be an almost collectable
thing, like collecting Pokemon whilst reading classic literature. It
might also help flesh out story that is not explicitly explained in the
text.
This is something else I feel interactive books should do. Instead of
relying on cheap touch-screen motion-sensing gimmicks they should
instead help flesh out the story and add details of the story not
directly mentioned in the text, a feature maybe more geared towards the
more curious fans of a novel.
On a mildly related side-note I found this pretty alternate covers to
some of Verne’s literature, designed by Jim Tierney. Check out the
video as well, because they’re covers that are intended to be more
tangibly satisfying that your typical book cover.
