This article by Robert Coover presents hypertexts, specifically fictional hypertexts. A hypertext is any text on a computer screen that is nonlinear, with lexias (or links to an infinite number of possible choices regarding where the reader could go next), and it is always in the middle (as opposed to having a beginning/middle/end like most print texts). Coover taught a couple hypertext fiction workshops at Brown University because he wanted to learn about these new texts himself. An interesting thing I learned was about the group fictional place the 'Hotel;' Brown and his students could use the hotel to write many interweaving stories that were determined by any and all authors as they so desired.
The most useful thing I learned from the reading is that these kinds of fictional texts exist! I understand that searching the internet gets overwhelming because there are so many things to read and directions to go, but I don't know how I would handle this free-range method of fictional storytelling.
~T
As I read the article, I, too wondered if I could “handle this free-range method of fictional storytelling” for at least two reasons. When I read a book, there is little I like less than coming to the end of the book only to find that the author has left me hanging and didn’t tell me how the story ended. In hypertext fictional writing, stories never end. That would be so frustrating to me!
ReplyDeleteThe second reason I’m not sure I could handle hypertext fictional writing is because I am a logical and analytical thinker. There’s not much logic and way too much too analyze in writing that has no “beginning/middle/end like most print texts.” It might be fun to participate in such writing, but a pain to read the resulting story.