Textual instability: paradoxes of literary remix

Unstable texts have long been an ideal in digital literary theory. These were once author-scripted domains in which readers could choose only from set paths but, with Web 2.0, more genuine readerly creativity is now possible. Readers can rewrite texts, radically changing narrative outcomes, or remix them with other texts, fanfiction-style. This chapter examines three case-studies, drawn from Australia and Italy, blending postmodern remix aesthetics with literary culture. Each maintains some degree of editorial oversight in the interests of quality control. Can the eLit community’s commitment to democratic access be squared with its insistence on a neo-Modernist aesthetics of difficulty? Or, in the social media age, does the definition of ‘electronic literature’ need broadening?