Non-linear combinatory literatutre books of the 20th Century: An analysis from Design, Literature, and Aesthetics

Abstract

This article examines the intersection of design, literature, and aesthetics in 20th-century non-linear combinatory works, emphasizing how editorial design directly influences the reading experience. It focuses on examples of books that break with traditional formats to foster active reader participation, such as Raymond Queneau's Cent mille milliards de poèmes (1961) and Marc Saporta's Composition No. 1 (1962). The analysis illustrates how their fragmented, combinatory structure, composed of independent units or syntagmas, allows for multiple readings and transforms the reader into a co-creator. Finally, the article relates these concepts to Umberto Eco's theory of the open work and Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez's aesthetics of participation, highlighting the relevance of these innovations within a postmodern context and their anticipation of contemporary digital interactive narratives.