[FRIAM] a memory less ephemeral: Narrating Complexity

[Steven A Smith]

This just out:

https://susan-stepney.blogspot.com/2018/12/narrating-complexity.html

Is anyone here familiar with any of the contributors' work? From the 
Springer website:

     https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319647128

    */Narrating Complexity/*

    /This book stages a dialogue between international researchers from
    the broad fields of complexity science and narrative studies. It
    presents an edited collection of chapters on aspects of how
    narrative theory from the humanities may be exploited to understand,
    explain, describe, and communicate aspects of complex systems, such
    as their emergent properties, feedbacks, and downwards causation;
    and how ideas from complexity science can inform narrative theory,
    and help explain, understand, and construct new, more complex models
    of narrative as a cognitive faculty and as a pervasive cultural form
    in new and old media. /

    /The book is suitable for academics, practitioners, and
    professionals, and postgraduates in complex systems, narrative
    theory, literary and film studies, new media and game studies, and
    science communication./

I've known Susan for nearly 20 years when she worked with Logica 
(vaguely parallel to BiosGroup) and we've collaborated on a few topics 
over those years.Even though I've had an interest and minor stake in 
this field (relating the domain of narrative and storytelling to 
complexity science), I haven't kept up with this line of her work (she 
is so diverse and prolific it would be impossible) kicked off in 2012.

https://susan-stepney.blogspot.com/2012/07/narrating-complexity.html

Our friend and colleague from proto-FriAM, Mike Agar helped some of us 
think about this general area in his own unique way, and I seem to 
remember there were others still in this circle besides Guerin and 
myself, with an interest/stake in it (NickT?)   We had a few discussions 
over beer/coffee at the Aztec Cafe and Cowgirl Cafe, as I remember it 
(circa 2006?).  We also engaged Tim Taylor (then Librarian at SFI, now 
Admin Assistant to Krakauer at SFI, always a poet).

A mini-salon held 2 summers ago at Jenny Quillien's on Metaphor (I 
distinctly remember DaveW, StephenG, KimS, and a few others attending) 
was vaguely tangential to the topic.

I don't expect to purchase my own copy at these prices (eBook OR 
Hardcover) but will probably try to engage Susan a little on the topic 
anyway.

 From the Springer Preview online, in her co-author's introductory chapter:

    /Narrative is the semiotic articulation of linear temporal sequence./

this is just his working definition for the purpose of the book, but an 
interesting level of abstraction for the purpose.

- Steve

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/attachments/20181230/ba3385e8/attachment.html>