Mathematics and Liberature: Fajfer’s Ten Letters

• Authors: Łukasz Matuszyk
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article discusses liberature in the context of its mathematical qualities. In this trend which inextricably connects the textual and physical layer of the work, each element in the book is expected to be created according to a certain formula which should bring a holistic piece of literature. After 1999, a great number of mathematically-oriented works have appeared which are strictly liberary. In the presentation, I base on the theoretical idea behind liberature when discussing Zenon Fajfer’s liberary work Ten Letters (Pol. Dwadzieścia jeden liter). This innovative piece is analysed mainly from the point of view of geometry and play with numbers, which is visible already in the title: the ten-letter phrase “ten letters.” Mathematical qualities are indicated on various layers of the piece: the physical, the textual, and the visual, but especially in its form. The game of numbers is found not only where it is obviously visible and essential to understand the message, but also in places which might not have been intended. Liberature is analysed as literature but at the same time, it is shown not to be literature, and in this respect, to be mathematical at the core.

Keywords

EN

form; book; literary text; game; numbers; geometry; defamiliarization

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Journal of Language and Cultural Education
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 153-166

Dates

published

2016-05-01

online

2016-07-14

Contributors

author

Łukasz Matuszyk

• University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Grota-Roweckiego 5, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/jolace-2016-0022