Verse the World

Verse the World is a story written, produced, and has an original soundtrack by Manu Singh. It is a chronological depiction of two friends and captures the essence of friendship, youth and life’s tribulations. It is the premiere e-book to incorporate audio, video, images, and hyperlinks into an interactive, multimedia story. Verse the World is written in journal form structured as a memoir threaded with a series of online conversations between two friends; the narrator and the protagonist of the story: Alexander “Alex” Calypso.
Production
In October 2009, Singh was approached by acquaintances and potential investors wanting to fund the instruments and software required to develop Verse the World. Singh declined the offer, as he did not agree with the clause to make the e-book only downloadable at a cost. Singh created the story to honor his friend and all those who had similar experiences, wanting to keep the book complimentary to the public. Singh worked several jobs at a time to pay for the necessary equipment and editing to create the Verse the World experience as he envisioned it.
Impact in Literature
Singh utilized the multimedia filetypes in Verse the World to “provide a better sense of each moment’s gravity or perhaps their levity.” The embedded audio files are entirely instrumental and often include several simultaneous guitar parts. Singh also includes a variety of different music songs via Youtube that contain lyrics or express emotions to better define a situation in the story. At the e-book’s conclusion, Singh recognizes the search engines and online media outlets for their previewing availability, and encourages readers to donate to the websites and artists.
Literary Expression & Themes
Singh had an interest in philosophy and psychology from a young age. In high school, his literary professor catalyzed these interests with philosophical and analytical teachings. Verse the world is latent with many literary and philosophical themes throughout. Singh was very intrigued with the epic poem, Beowulf and wrote a thesis in high school describing the transitions in its alliteration pattern, and has implemented this device throughout his story. Singh also uses heavy physical and literary imagery, foreshadowing, and allegory, which are presented both literally and audibly.
Writing Style
Verse the World implement several different voices throughout the story in a unique way. Each character’s dialogue is presented in a distinct font or character style to capture their individual personalities. Throughout the story, along with their present voices, Alex and the narrator each have an over-voice, similar to MST3K or Statler and Waldorf, that comments on the current situation in the story; these exterior voices are even seen interacting with one another. There are also additional voices that appear occasionally throughout the story. During the final chapter, the reader should recognize Alex’s three distinct voices representing his many different states.

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