The Meta-Book: Toward a New Architecture of Literary Space in the Digital Age
Authors: Freedman, Daniel
Type: Preprint
Published: 2026-08-03
Keywords: Meta-Book; Digital Literature; Literary Architecture; Literary Space; Constellation Narrative; Living Literary Ecosystem; Interactive Literature; Multimodal Literature; Digital Humanities; Absolute Cinema; Spoken Word; Networked Narrative.

<p><span>This paper introduces the concept and theoretical architecture of the <strong>Meta-Book</strong>—a new framework for organizing literary and artistic expression in the digital age. Moving beyond the two-thousand-year-old linear tradition of the codex, electronic books (EPUB/PDF), and standard hypertext, the Meta-Book establishes a navigable, multidimensional literary space where narrative episodes, visual geography, spoken-word compositions, philosophical essays, and scholarly research coexist within a dynamic semantic ecosystem</span><span><sup class="superscript"></sup></span><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rather than progressing sequentially through pre-ordered chapters, reading becomes an act of active navigation through a constellation of autonomous literary nodes</span><span><sup class="superscript"></sup></span><span>. The paper details the theoretical foundations of spatial narrative, the shift from sequential reading to constellation navigation, and the active role of the reader as an explorer constructing individual trajectories</span><span><sup class="superscript"></sup></span><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>Furthermore, the paper presents the experimental implementation of this conceptual model via <strong>The Meta-Book Literary Platform</strong> (<code>metabook.freedanman.com</code>), demonstrating a 5-level literary architecture combining text, cartography, constellation narrative graphs, radio-theatrical spoken-word works from the author's <em>Absolute Cinema</em> collection, and interdisciplinary digital humanities research</span><span><sup class="superscript"></sup></span><span>.</span> </p>
<h3><strong>Ecosystem & Related Works (Cross-References):</strong></h3>
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<p><strong>Experimental Platform:</strong> <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://metabook.freedanman.com/" rel="noopener">The Meta-Book Literary Platform</a></p>
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<p><strong>Research Environment:</strong> <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://freedanman.com/" rel="noopener">Daniel Freedman Research Hub</a></p>
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<p><strong>Auditory Framework:</strong> <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DuxmrU4DNqQ%26list%3DPL6vf1KyYj-mo-b65vbpjMomB63rle22r" rel="noopener">Absolute Cinema - Spoken Word & Radio-Theatrical Collection</a></p>
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<h4><strong>Related Publications by the Author:</strong></h4>
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<p>Freedman, D. A. <em>The Meta-Book of Exposure: The Split Self.</em> Zenodo. <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18001110" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18001110</a></p>
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<p>Freedman, D. A. <em>Anthropology of Light and Sound: A Monograph.</em> Zenodo. <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17969469" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17969469</a></p>
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<p>Freedman, D. A. <em>Blind Theatre: Pre-Musical Sound and Prenatal Listening.</em></p>
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<p>Freedman, D. A. <em>Sex as Philosophy (through a truncated prism).</em></p>
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<p>Frivolny, D. <em>Phenomenon "I": Interdisciplinary Analysis.</em></p>
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<p>Freedman, D. A. (2025). <em>The Moth's Notebook: What Remained of Krasznahorkai's Coat After Forty Years of Living.</em></p>
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</ol>