Nevermore: pretext machine

Abstract

Our proposal is to make a graphic representation of the sound syntax and the syllabic structure enclosed in The Raven, published in 1845 by Edgar Allan Poe, using a script that works simultaneously as reading-text-machine, a drawing-machine and a synthesis-text-machine. The script translates the poem structure into an abstract grid, generating a drawing. The geometric definition of the poem is then constrained by the characters and their correspondent location to the sound code: the word nevermore and the textual reverberation it produces. A synthesis of the poem is achieved by a recursive selection of syllables, resulting in a graphical and textual configuration towards a rewritten final stanza. The process is repeated with the Portuguese translation of the poem, made by Fernando Pessoa in 1924. Although it follows the same initial structure and algorithms the change of idiom introduces different geometries and sound reverberations.