Hypertext Fiction

Introduction
Hypertext fiction existed before the Internet. The first work of hypertext fiction is believed to be Afternoon, A Story by Micheal Joyce in 1987 and published four years later in 1991 by Eastgate Systems. This work paved the way for a group of works published by Eastgate Systems. In 1994 the first work was made for the Internet, and in 1996 the first interactive story was published, Sunshine 69 by Robert Arello. With the growing popularity of these works, the Electronic Literature Organization or ELO was established in 1999 which promoted all types of digital or electronic writing. (Black addition)

Electronic literature is a combination of the traditional idea of literature and the digital world that has become a fundamental part of our society. Hypertext fiction is a type of electronic literature that promotes the use of hypertext links during the reading experience (Hayles). These links are used to give context to the reader and give them the ability to create the story that they want to read. Because hypertext fiction builds off of the traditional form, there a many similarities between the two, such as, the reading experience being unique to each reader and the reader having the ability to make choices while reading (Aarseth). Many readers of traditional literature remain skeptical of the new technology and it's ability to replace the long-established form. Supporters of hypertext fiction see it as another format of organizing information to then disseminate to readers giving them an enhanced experience while using a newer form of technology. (Owens) Hypertext fiction is, for the most part, published originally in an electronic format and meant to be read electronically. Hypertext fiction is defined by its inclusion of hyperlinks through which a reader can navigate the story. This allows for features that traditional literature does not give a reader, such as multiple ways to navigate the story, different points for the story to begin and end, audio prompts, and graphic layouts that can deepen the experience or understanding of the text. Authors will sometimes use graphics or sounds in order to help a reader decide how to navigate the text, such as Caitlin Fisher does in These Waves of Girls or Shelley Jackson does in The Body. (Geary)

I Have Said Nothing (Nat Geary)


Jane Douglas' I Have Said Nothing is an example of Hypertext fiction that utilizes visual prompts along with the text to help the reader navigate the story. Douglas writes that her original intent was to have complex and diverse ways of traversing the narrative based on a not just narrative defaults, as this abridged version is, but on a cognitive map consisting of the different hyperlinks that lead to parts of the narrative. Douglas argues that more ways to experience and navigate a work make that work more immersive and meaningful to the reader.

This particular work tries to immerse the reader in the experience of the narrator as he/she explores the events of her life. A challenge the reader faces from the very beginning is how to proceed through the narrative, and how to piece together what is going on in the overall story. After much exploration, I came to the conclusion that there are two main storylines, surrounded by a few observations and asides by the narrator. The first storyline follows her brother, Luke, as he works through the death of his girlfriend who is hit by a car. The second follows him as he deals with a car crash concerning his parents and the deaths of two of his sisters. The form of the narrative is effective in bringing the reader in and giving him/her interest in the text. The fact that only certain parts of the story are revealed on any particular read-through makes it an interactive experience of finding out what the story lines are. The narrator uses both present and past tense, as well as first, second, and third person passages to deepen the web of intrigue as well as bring the reader into the story through putting him/her into the characters' shoes.

The function of this work as literature seems relatively simple. It is not completely different from a traditional narrative in that Douglas does make an effort to offer only links that make sense in terms of relating in some way to the last link. She separates the links into two groups. The first is a double lined road that follows the main stream of thought and the second is a clover that takes the reader to more in depth descriptions or reflections about a certain topic. All in all, it is relatively easy to see how each link could be placed in a particular order to create a traditional text. The disjointed structure of the hypertext gives the narrative a stream of consciousness effect, following not only the thoughts of the narrator, but also the thoughts and interests of the reader. This relates to what Hayles says in her analysis of electronic fiction about the transfer from print to electronic media changing multiple focuses of literature, including making it more about the way literature is experienced by the reader. It also, in my opinion, relates to her claim about whether there is any literary merit in digital media. The well thought out structure of the narrative and the emotionally charged subject matter make for a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking experience.

The Unknown (Olivia Owens)
The Unknown, by William Gillespie, Scott Rettenberg, Dirk Stratton and Frank Marquardt, is a complex piece of electronic literature that depends largely on the use of links for storytelling with some audio files. It is a collaborative story that attempts to modernize literature and adds comedy to a genre that is generally known for serious works.

While I know hypertext fiction is supposed to use hypertext to proceed through the story, I found this text to be very difficult to navigate. Once you were able to figure out the plot, it was very entertaining. However, finding pieces that chronologically followed each other took some time. I could see the discovery of the storyline being an exciting part of the electronic literature experience, but I do not think the hyperlinks in this story fit cohesively.

The sarcastic voice and hard truths dispersed throughout this plot is what keeps the reader clicking through the maze. There were certain moments when I could not believe what I was reading because of the honesty. It was also not an ordinary plot line. The best plots give the reader a look into a world that is foreign to them. The four were able to take the boring, average lifestyle of a writer and add a twist to it. Fame is something most people desire and it was intriguing to see the reality of what fame can do to a person. The characters were the Lindsay Lohan’s of the literary world.

The pain and the despair each of the characters go through is well portrayed to the reader and even through their ridiculous and selfish ways, the reader is able to sympathize with them because of the sarcastic nature of the narrative. It’s a story that can take the most serious situations and make you laugh. For example, when all of the characters are strung out on drugs and one shoots a gun at the television set, the scene ends with William asking if anyone wanted to smoke weed. It perfectly describes when you are in an awkward situation and are desperately looking for a way out. The text, while exaggerated, is very relatable.

I think the actual experience of reading the story could have been a lot more interactive. In my opinion, the point of electronic literature is to engage the reader more than the traditional setting of sitting down and reading a book. If The Unknown incorporated video, images and sound throughout, the experience for the reader would have been more enhanced. These elements would break up the long pieces of text and bring the plot to life. Currently the audio files are at the bottom of the page, which gets lost once you leave the main page. If some of the hyperlinks connected to the audio files, the reader would be able to access them in a more cohesive manner.

Overall, I think The Unknown is a great piece of literature, but it could definitely use additional elements. The storyline keeps the reader engaged and entertained, while also forcing them to sympathize with the characters. Electronic literature is meant to combine old and new literature, but I think this story has a larger emphasis on the modern style of literature. With a more organized way to maneuver through the text and multimedia elements, this story would be the perfect example of an electronic text.