12. Six Selections by the Oulipo

• Oulipo:  Workshop for Potential Literature
• Potential lit. uses "constraints" - not allowing oneself to use a specific letter when they write (Lipogram), etc. 
• It's an "algorithmic" view of the narrative form
• Group's founding piece: "Cent Mille Milliards de poemes," Quenea - concept:  You can cut along the dotted lines in the poem and put them in different places throughout the poem and the line with fit rhythmically, syntactically, and metrically
• Oulipo created a new form of "computer-mediated textuality"
• This changes the relationship btw the reader, the author, and the text.  The author is now a lot more involved as are the readers, who become active agents in creating the text
• Founded by Francois Le Lionnais, co-founded by Queneau
• Asked themselves at meetings "what can we expect for our work," what's the purpose, what's the outcome?