One of them finally said, 'She's so out of touch. It's not like books versus electronics. Some students say that readers who haven't grown up with computers feel less comfortable with technology, and with hypertext stories. Hypertext is a physical process, like riding a bike or like sewing. So if you're not familiar with it, you're going to feel uncomfortable.
Hypertext fiction appears to have found a welcoming home in several college English departments.
According to an informal survey by Eastgate Systems, the publisher of many hypertext stories, at least 50 colleges and universities offer courses devoted to hypertext literature. Even the print world has acknowledged hypertext fiction. The publishing company also placed excerpts from both works on a password-protected section of its Web site, so students can experience the texts on the computer, as they were intended to be read. Ms. Miller wrote in the Times Book Review that professors embrace hypertext literature because it plays out many aspects of contemporary literary theory, not because it is compelling. In fact, she said, none of her friends have ever curled up with a hypertext novel.