From the first experiments, the association between literature and computing has aroused enthusiasm, but has also provoked criticism. Confronted with the increasing influence of big companies on digital creation and reading, many authors and teachers have actually yielded to disillusionment. The objective of the archaeological exploration I propose in this article, is to step back from the ideologies that characterize both the fatalist and the enchanted discourses. I will examine some key steps in the relationship between literature and computers, focusing on the literary forms written and published on this device. I will also historical and contemporary works that take into account the evidences and the ‘unthoughts’ of this complex relation, and illustrate the possibilities to explore the relationship between literature and computing in full awareness of the ambiguities and fields of tension.