What came to my mind while reading this is code is closer to poetry than it is to 'literature'. Not a perfect analogy mind you but it shares these qualities: -

What came to my mind while reading this is code is closer to poetry than it is to 'literature'. Not a perfect analogy mind you but it shares these qualities: - It tends to be dense. - It is meant to be decoded. - The terms/words/commands/formatting are picked carefully to evoke concepts (and in poetry, feelings). This reminds me of something a friend said to me a long time ago about his lack of interest in crosswords: "If I want a good puzzle I read a poem." I've always approached other people's code as a puzzle.