In the digital world, “hacking” occurs nearly every day. Either for security reasons, personal vendettas, or for enjoyment, breaching computer information systems (and more) is something that is not an extraordinary event in our world today.
When it comes to the literary world, though, how does one “hack it?” This is where creative thinking comes into play, and the most perfect example that explores hacking as a literary form comes from David Levithan’s novel The Lover’s Dictionary.
Levithan takes readers through a story about a rocky relationship, and in doing so, he hacks a different type of literary form: the dictionary. We all know what to expect when cracking open a dictionary (or, uh, searching Google): the word, the part of speech, and the definition are all listed alphabetically. In his book, Levithan inserts his non-linear stories into the definition section, and deletes the actual meaning of the word. As readers, we’re to interpret each scenario as what the word means, which, in a sense, adds it’s own personal definition.
When first reading this book, I did not expect to find a story in lieu of these definitions, but I knew that something special and completely new to me was right before me eyes. Each definition is like a clue; thanks to the non-linear timeline, you’re reading about this relationship while being exposed to the end of it in the very beginning.
I’ve never heard of or read a book that was anything but the stereotypical chapters and pages that I’m accustomed to. The ingenious hacking on Levithan’s part brought to light the idea that stories can be found everywhere–even in places as banal as a dictionary.
Check out some of the entries from The Lover’s Dictionary here.
The Mod 