Experimental Formats

The early 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein published only one book in his lifetime—Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Wittgenstein commited his thoughts and processes to notes, actually compiling a huge collection of note-books, which were left with relatives, friends, and the like. Wittgenstein ordered the note-books destroyed in 1950, though a number survived. I came across a collection of work taken from surviving note-books, and am thoroughly blown away. Such an abstract and intimate way to get into someone's head. I feel as if these paragraphs are of infinately greater value than, say, an organized journal or diary of thought. Of course, they supplement the organized, official published book, but they also extend the concepts, give a richer experience. I find that I myself work the same way, commiting a huge pool of musings, thoughts, garbage to notes—to go through later and pull out meaningful substance with which to create a conducive composition.

This is an interesting take on composition itself. The book is an archaic, anachronistic, weighty thing. Styles of composition must change to fit the coming paradigms of hypertextual organization, the liquid logic of the new. Still, the language is important, the humanity—in order to comprehend, one must relate. As in Aristotelian thought, we really can't learn anything new, only remember. Take Borges' work on the labyrinth—a vast library containing every possible book containing every possible combination of every possible letter—though with a limit on size. But the limit is self-imposed.