Bittersweet Symphony

Interactive chatbot with characters from literatures in 18th, 19th century.

About
the Project

本作受陳重仁教授《文學、帝國與醫學想像》一書啟發，並以英國 The Verve 樂團於 1997 年發表之歌曲 <Bitter Sweet Symphony 悲喜交響曲> 為題，呼應狄更斯於雙城記中所述：「It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.」，渲染後工業革命時代下資本主義社會的形成、勾勒十九世紀以降英國社會的悲與喜，構築階級、文化、文學、社會等多面向，融合奇幻、科幻、推理、冒險等類型小說，述說文學與歷史彼此牽動之必然性。Inspired by Prof. Chen Chongren's book "Medicine, Empire and 19th Century Engish Literature", this work is titled "Bitter Sweet Symphony", a song released by the British band The Verve in 1997, which echoes the words of Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The book is a reflection of the formation of capitalist society in the post-industrial revolution era, and outlines the sorrows and joys of British society since the 19th century. It constructs a multifaceted structure of class, culture, literature, and society, and combines genres of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and adventure to illustrate the inevitability of the interplay between literature and history.

• 點此進入聊天機器人，輸入任意文字開始

Tutorial Video

Subject

As new ways of interaction with languages emerges, e.g. ChatGPT, what if one is able to talk to the fictional characters in the clossals? Immerse in the vibe of the story as well as dig into the mystery solving cases along with the companions you have on the way!Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reference

陳重仁，《文學、帝國與醫學想像》。2013，書林。
Pinterest.com
Playground.ai, for AIGC pictures

And there one story alters not,However hard one rewrites the plot.Relive the fictions as they speak;Words with bitter or with sweet.The best of time’s still marching on;The worst of times we claim it’s gone.Some are born to sweet delight.Some are born to endless night.If music be the food of love,Bittersweet symphony rises above.