House of Leaves

Described in its simplest form, it is a story about a family who moves into a house that is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. Over time, the book has gained cult-classic status for its unique page design and multi-layered narrative. 

Inspired by filmmakers’ ability to create pacing through shots, Danielewski utilized unconventional page layouts to enhance the reader’s experience. Pages vary from overwhelming blocks of footnotes to a mere few words per page, all in an effort to support the narrative. Different typefaces are strategically used to distinguish the many narrators of the story from each other.

A prime example of ergodic literature, House of Leaves takes nontrivial effort from the audience to read through the book. By deviating from the conventions and layouts of traditional books, ergodic literature makes the reader an active participant in traversing the story. With House of Leaves, its complex layouts directly relate to the labyrinth which the characters find themselves trapped in. 

Through the use of unique and experimental design, House of Leaves and ergodic literature as a whole have been able to expand the boundaries of what is possible to accomplish within the medium of books.

Post made by Jared Ramirez, @jramirez.gd

Sources:

CloudCuckooCountry. “Ergodic Literature: The Weirdest Book Genre.” YouTube Video. November 15, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKX90LbnYd4. 

Danielewski, Mark Z. “Five minutes with Mark Z Danielewski.” The Guardian. November 30, 2000. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/nov/30/guardianfirstbookaward2000.gurardianfirstbookaward. 

Hansen, Mark BN. "The Digital Topography of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves." Contemporary Literature 45, no. 4 (2004): 597-636. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3593543. 

Horton, Mandy, and Spencer Gee. “When Book Design Gets Weird.” Incomplet Design History. Podcast audio. November 29, 2023. https://incomplet-design-history.simplecast.com/episodes/when-book-design-gets-weird-0I842Y7P.