Self-generating Text

As discussed in prior blog posts, the realm of digital humanities is broad and ever-expanding. A small facet within this realm lies within self-generating text. Self-generating text is essentially text that is entered into a software program and then the text is rearranged by the computer that runs the software to make new sentences and phrases. This has created problems within the art world in terms of authorship; who gets what credit and where is a gray area full of split hairs.

Camel Tail

A prime example of problematic authorship in self-generating text can be found in Sonny Rae Tempest’s “Camel Tail”-- a piece where author Sonny Rae Tempest takes lyrics from Metallica songs, and works them through software developed by Nick Montfort. The question readers and DHers alike have found themselves facing is “who truly owns ‘Camel Tail?’” Considering all this, is the computer itself an artist having brought Sonny Rae Tempest’s idea to life?

If Ownership was a Pie Chart, Who Would Get the Biggest Slice?

Credits: Yellow- Metallica, Red- Sonny Rae Tempest,
Blue- Computer

Metallica wrote the words and their original placement, Nick Montfort synthesized the software that arranges the words, and Sonny Rae Tempest came up with the raw pulp of the art where the idea of the art lies. Assigning ownership to a singular artist of a multi-layered piece like this is, as aforementioned, getting down to the nitty gritty of hair splitting. Sonny Rae Tempest obviously owns the piece because it was his idea to compile these works and create the self-generating poem “Camel Tail.” Metallica, however, still owns the words and phrases that may or may not get mish-mashed together because the piece mentions directly that the lyrics are pulled from the band’s works. Nick Montfort, similar to Metallica, authors “Camel Tail” indirectly; by creating the coding that creates the patterns Metallica’s lyrics follow, he has a hand in writing the poetry. Because he had no knowledgeable intention of being able to make meaning for his readers at the time of creation of his software, he has no real connection with “Camel Tail’s” readers as Sonny Rae Tempest does.

Which Slices Have the Most Filling?

Since Metallica’s lyrics are chopped up and used one word at a time, their ownership, and thus artistic intentions and connections with the readers are less meaningful. Similarly, Nick Montfort created his software with intentions to make self-generating poetry; out of his artistic context, his inten meaning is lost and substituted with Sonny Rae Tempest’s. Meaning within the self-generated poem is given in two parts: the first is through the maker’s creative intentions and the second is through the readers’ interpretations of the poetry created.

The Ouroboros of the Digital Humanities World

The meaning that gives “Camel Tail” its meaning lies within the work’s readers; to put it plainly, an artist’s audience is diverse and because of this, every member of that audience is going to interpret the piece a little bit differently. Self-generating text has no true, definite meaning, but its readers give the pieces they view meaning by applying what their personal background knowledge.