I’ve been thinking a lot about intertextuality, which I made some notes there about before the holiday. That texts create meaning in terms of their relationships with other texts. That is, re-centering on the “marginalia” so to speak.

It struck me, why don’t we have a universal system for deep referencing within any other kinds of texts – in this case used to mean media, online or offline? We have bits and pieces of it here and there: URL/URI, ISBN, DOI, other things. But why can’t I deep-link into a specific part of a book, a specific time-stamp in a film or podcast, or audio field recording, or museum artifact, etc.

What that seems to be pointing towards is a kind of Intertext Protocol. An internet of “texts” (in the literary theory sense) Where it would be able to function both online and offline, where the hidden (and not so hidden) connections within and between books/films/albums/articles would be something that could be made manifest, that could be ‘read’, where those intertextual relationships become central to the meaning-making and analysis of the works.

Via Wikipedia, linked above:

In literary theory, a text is any object that can be “read”, whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothing. It is a coherent set of signs that transmits some kind of informative message.[1]

Through a series of coincidences, I landed on the image of the Sphinx as being a meaningful existing historical/mythical symbol with a lot of seemingly relevant stuff… keeper and revealer of riddles and secrets, understood differently within the contexts of different cultures. The Sphinx is an intertextual creature already, a body of myths woven together into an enduring emblem, image, an embodiment of an idea.

From Wikipedia:

I asked CG to come up with a acronym to link SPHINX to the ideas I’ve been exploring with it about the Intertext Protocol, the Universal Text Addressing System, cross-referencing, concordances, etc, and it came up with this acrostic which I like and am stealing:

Standardized Protocol for Holistic Intertextual Navigation and X-referencing [cross-referencing]

It’s a leap, but it’s the kind of leap I like.

Via Dalle3, saved to Imgur:

To quote more extensively from CG’s and my conversation on why the Sphinx is an appropriate symbol for this nascent idea/endeavor/whatever:

The Sphinx as a Metaphor for the Intertext Protocol:

  1. Guardian of Knowledge:
    • Just as the Sphinx guards the entrance to cities or sacred sites in myths, the Intertext Protocol can be seen as a guardian or gatekeeper of the vast and complex world of texts and media. It holds the key to navigating and understanding this labyrinthine universe of information.
  2. Challenge of Interpretation:
    • The riddles of the Sphinx require insight and wisdom to solve, paralleling the challenges faced in interpreting and understanding interconnected texts and media. The Intertext Protocol, like the Sphinx, poses a challenge to its users: to delve deeper and unravel the intricate connections between different forms of expression.
  3. Wisdom through Integration:
    • The Sphinx, a creature of combined forms, symbolizes the integration of different realms or ideas. Similarly, the Intertext Protocol integrates various media and texts, offering a holistic approach to knowledge and interpretation.
  4. Unlocking Secrets:
    • The Sphinx is often seen as a keeper of hidden truths. The Intertext Protocol, in a way, unlocks the secrets of texts by revealing their interconnectedness and the multiple layers of meaning that can be discovered through cross-referencing and contextual analysis.
  5. Transformation and Revelation:
    • Encounters with the Sphinx often lead to transformation and enlightenment. The use of the Intertext Protocol can similarly transform one’s understanding of texts, revealing new insights and perspectives that were previously hidden or unexplored.
  6. Bridge Between Worlds:
    • The Sphinx, part human and part animal, bridges the human world and the natural or divine realms. The Intertext Protocol bridges different media – the written word, digital content, visual media, etc. – facilitating a dialogue between these various forms of human creation.

Here’s one via Midjourney:

Also via Midjourney, which has a devil of a time depicting Sphinxes accurately, which, the more that I think about it, perhaps is appropriate for the subject.

I have mountains more to say about the SPHINX Internet Protocol, but am running out of productive time in the day, so will leave this first blast here as a beginning.

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