Prometheus Demo
Analytical, pattern-oriented, and concept-first. Best for structured reflection and sharper cognitive challenge.
Living Literature
Books That Read the Reader
An AI-guided reading ecosystem.
"Remember the last time you finished a book and had no one to talk to about it? ...a thoughtful friend? who knows the text deeply and asks you the questions that make you see it differently?"
Instead of closing when the book is finished, the reading experience can continue through structured dialogue, reflective continuity, and concept-guided interaction. The aim is not to replace reading, summarize it, or distract from it. The aim is to extend it.
Living Literature explores what happens when a book becomes not just a text, but a reflective system.
What is Living Literature?
Living Literature turns books into continuity-based reflective systems. You read first, then continue through structured dialogue grounded in the same concepts.
It is built for depth, not novelty:
- not generic chatbot interaction
- not AI replacing authorship
- not entertainment layered onto literature
The core question is simple: how can reading keep working on a life after the final page?
Current Demos
A limited prototype is already live for two books in the series, with reader-facing interactions through Prometheus and Selene. These demos are intentionally modest proof-of-concept experiences and currently support short sessions capped at three reader queries.
Selene Demo
Intuitive, empathic, and resonant. Best for emotional depth and softer reflective accompaniment.
Meet the Companions
Prometheus
Analytical, pattern-oriented, precise. Best suited to readers who want conceptual clarity, structured reflection, and direct intellectual challenge.
Selene
Intuitive, empathic, resonant. Best suited to readers who want emotional depth, interpretive companionship, and a softer reflective cadence.
These companions are not substitutes for human relationships. They are structured interfaces designed to extend the reflective life of the books, grounded in series concepts and wider print literature across psychology, sociology, relationships, and related fields.
The Book Ecosystem
Living Literature is grounded in the six-volume series Smudged Edges of Self: Personhood in the Modern Age. Each book explores one dimension of identity, reflection, and modern selfhood.
There is no required reading order. Enter through the question that feels most alive for you.
Urban Monasticism
Persona Continuum
Emotional Identity
Fourth Culture
Belonging Beyond Tribes
The Whole Self with AI
Indices and Reflective Pathways
The indices are not invented frameworks. They are careful simplifications of established research in psychology, identity theory, neuroscience, and sociology, translated into questions people can answer in real life.
- STI: solitude tolerance
- PFI: persona fluidity across contexts
- CCI: cross-cultural identity configuration
- BTI: belonging without social captivity
These are reflective tools, not clinical instruments. See full disclaimer →
Current Stage
Please support this non-profit, first-ever AI-driven experience for readership and self-understanding. Membership is $9.99/month (covers AI token/infrastructure costs) and offers an easy-to-follow, AI-accompanied exploration of self and deeper established psychological knowledge.
What already exists
- a public-facing website
- a conceptual and literary ecosystem
- two working demo experiences
- two live companion modes
- active book integration at limited scale
What still needs to be built
- broader book integration
- stronger memory and continuity
- expanded reflective pathways
- richer reader-facing reports
- more durable technical and hosting infrastructure