Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1: The Historical avant-gardes -- A. Modernist-era experimentalism -- Italian futurism and Russian cubo-futurism / John White -- The poetics of animism : Realism and the fantastic in Expressionist literature and film / Richard Murphy -- The surrealist experiments with language / Peter Stockwell -- The literary absurd / Joanna Gavins -- B. Postmodernist experimentalism -- Spontaneity and improvisation in postwar experimental poetry / Benjamin Lee -- The Nouveau roman and Tel Quel / Danielle Marx-Scouras -- Lettrism and situationism / Tyrus Miller -- OuLiPo and proceduralism / Jan Baetens -- Metafiction / R.M. Berry -- Postmodernism and experiment / Brian McHale -- C. Experiments with identity -- Sexing the text : women's avant-garde writing in the twentieth century / Ellen G. Friedman -- Experiments in Black : African-American avant-garde poetics / Aldon Lynn Nielsen -- The limits of hybridity : language and innovation in Anglophone postcolonial poetry / Priyamvada Gopal -- D. The new experimentalism -- Avant-pop / Lance Olsen -- Post-postmodernism / Robert L. McLaughlin -- Globalization and transnationalism / Liam Connell -- Altermodernist fiction / Alison Gibbons -- Manifestos and Ars Poetica / Laura Winkiel -- Post-criticism : conceptual takes / Gregory L. Ulmer -- Part 2: Experiment now : Printed matter -- E. Experiments with language -- The expanded field of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E / Charles Bernstein -- Concrete poetry and prose / Joe Bray -- Found poetry, "uncreative writing," and the art of appropriation / Andrew Epstein -- Words in visual art / Jessica Prinz -- Hoax-poetry and inauthenticity / Philip Mead -- F. Experiments with narrative and fiction -- Unnatural voices, minds and narration / Jan Alber, Henrik Skov Nielsen and Brian Richardson -- Impossible worlds / Marie-Laure Ryan -- Experimental life writing / Irene Kacandes -- "Rotting time" : genre fiction and the avant-garde / Elana Gomel -- G. Experiments with form and design -- Graphic narrative / Hillary Chute -- Multimodal literature and experimentation / Alison Gibbons -- Information design, emergent culture and experimental form in the novel / Steve Tomasula -- Interactive fiction / N. Katherine Hayles and Nick Montfort -- Part 3: Experiment now : beyond The page -- H. The Digital age -- 34. Digital fiction : networked narratives / David Ciccoricco -- Code poetry and new-media literature / Steve Tomasula -- Computer gaming / Astrid Ensslin -- Virtual autobiography : autographies, interfaces, and avatars / Amy J. Elias.

This title maps this expansive and multifaceted field, with essays on the history of literary experiment from the beginning of the 20th century to the present the impact of new media on literature. The contributors introduce this vibrant area, define its current state, and offer exciting new perspectives on its future.