Hypertext Fiction

## Introduction

Hypertext Fiction is a form of electronic literature. It is set apart by its non-linearity and reader interaction. Similar to choose your own adventure books it allow the reader to click a hypertext and choose the direction they go in. Clicking from one page to another reveals a story written by the author and arranged by the reader.  (Oliver)

Hypertext fiction is very diverse and through print and electronic.Digital technologies are carefully combined with commercial printing processes that print is more properly considered an curtain output form of electronic text than an entirely 2 different medium. Electronic text still separate from print because it literally cannot be accessed until it is performed by proper executed code. The similarity of code to the text's performance is crucial to understanding electronic literature, especially to appreciating its specificity as a literaral and technological production.

The history of hypertext fiction starts way before the World Wide Web even existed. The software that was used to create hypertext fiction included Storyspace and HyperCard. It was on June 21, 1996, that the first World Wide Web's interactive novel, *Sunshine 69*, was published by Bobby Rabyd. This led the way for numerous other hypertext fictions to come to existence such as *Hegirascope* by Stuart Moulthrop and *These Waves of Girls* by Cailtin Fisher. Due to its growing popularity, the Electronic Literature Organization was formed in 1999 to help promote this new electronic literature. (Hargis)

Hypertext fiction engages a reader in a way that regular fiction, like books, can't. When a reader makes a choice, they are given even more choices. There are so many choices and paths that can be taken unlike other fiction where there is just one path and specific reading pattern. The reader just has more free will when reading hypertext fiction than when reading regular fiction. Hypertext fiction tells, seemingly, various stories especially depending on what choices the reader makes. The reader has to work to read and understand the story. [2] (Warren)

## I Have Said Nothing -(Ralisha Oliver)

I Have Said Nothing by Jane Douglas exemplifies the genre of hypertext fiction. This narrative was an excerpt of the original, which means it does not allow for all the possible paths to explore that the original would. Nevertheless, the reader is still able to navigate the story through the use of maps and hyperlinks. Hypertext fiction such as this one allows you start and end the story where you please. Thus affecting each readers experience with the story.

Jane Douglas has been quoted saying that "Casualty is the root of all narratives." Ultimately, regardless of the path that you choose, Douglas' narrative is about the Death of 2 women and the affects this has on the narrator's brother, who was dating both girls at the times of the their deaths. When I began my experience with this story, I started with the "Do you remember?" hyper link. The story here begin with the death of Sherry. And from there you can choose where you want to go, what you want to know and how much you want to know. The reader can either choose to know more about the anatomy of what has happened to Sherry or they can explore the affects that death has on the narrators' brother. In my experience with this narrative I chose to explore the anatomy of Sherry death, and discovered that she had been hit by a car and broken every bone in her body. There comes a point in the reading of Sherry's demise that the reader can choose to end the story. Even within the page entitled "The End" there are still hyperlinked choices that allow the story to continue. Interestingly enough Douglas is also the author of "The end of Books or Books without end?".

 The story of Sherry is intertwined with the story of Jules. Though I believe I made it successfully through the story of Sherry, the story of Jules perplexes me. So, Rather than continuing with the1st experience I began with Sherry. I began completely new one with Jules, much to no avail. So I turned to google finding that I was not the only person that has found this excerpt of "I Have Said Nothing" rather hard to navigate.  After a second, third, and fourth attempt to navigate the Story of Jules, I found that Jules was in a car accident along with the narrators brother and her sister. After being hit head on she and her sister did not survive the impact. Jules story isn't her, nor is Sherry's. This is really the story of the losses the narrators' brother has endured and the affects they had on him. After my experience with this narrative I wonder if I had of chosen a different path in my first experience, if I would have better understood the entire story within the narrative. I have found that thought there are 2 stories here with the same theme they are connected through the narrator and even more importantly they are connected through hyperlinks, their navigation. While this is a great characteristic of Hypertext Fiction it can leave the reader slightly lost. Unlike Other books and poems you may read, Hypertext Fictions ,such as this one, offers an experience that is really controlled by the readers' choice of paths.

## These Waves Of Girls- Bailey Keller

These waves of girls by Caitlin Fisher is a very intellectual form of hypertext fiction about girlhood in stages of other girls lives. These small stories followed the lives of girls in particular stages of life dealing with from juvenile play to harassment in adolescence to sexuality and experimenting. The first part of the home screen freaked me the hell out with the little girls creepy laugh but I had to wait get past that to get to the stories. It was a little confusing at first i just read all the small summaries from each word then clicked the first one about a girl Vanessa and her friend growing up together and having crushes on a boy and chasing him down to kiss him. Then as they grow older it turns into them being more powerful than the boys, they forced boys to make out with them and humiliated them by taking there clothes and kicking gravel on him and making fun of his size. They take a shirt back her friends house as if it were a trophy and her friend kissed her symbolizing their "sealed secrets".

The next story is about early middle school and early puberty. The main girl was in 5th grade but hung how with the 6th grader because she could relate more to them and felt inferior to her own class. A 6th grader named Tammy lead the cliques told her she knew nothing about love. They all thought they knew what was going on. first of all it starts out as by fifth grade they all knew what sluts were thus symbolizing the start of middle school, cliques and groups start to form and rushing to be something you are not just for the fame of popularity and finding the cool thing to do when in all reality was quiet ridiculous. 6th grader Ricky bragged about losing his virginity from Tammy sitting on his hand. Once Tammy actually did lose her virginity she was upset because her bf and the guy that took her virginity didn't want her. That's life for some girls who only seek for whats cool. Puberty sexuality and confusing mixed all together can equal middle school.

The story of barbie and how she symbolizes beauty for women but not in a seductive manner. But they are dolls so all in all they could be anything you want them to be. this girls barbie doll was a pleasure seeker and lived naked and wanted sexual adventures. Comparing them to the more masculine dolls in the story that were also naked, she did want to be barbie but to do barbie. I guess in the since being you control her you are in control as a woman, you don't have to primp and proper to be a lady because you can be a bad ass lady. And unlike all her other dolls who already had one roll for its features(an ape can be played as an ape) Barbie is a lot of things so why not be a powerful woman

## L0ve0ne (Macy Hargis)

l0ve0ne by Judy Malloy is a very intriguing hypertext fiction that is easy for anyone, technology-impaired or not, to thoroughly enjoy. When first experiencing this piece, one might be confused on what to click on, but that is easily fixed when you read the homepage. It says, "The page screens of Gweneth's diary is like thin cathode ray tubes. The book grows warm in your hands. Text flickers on the page screens, and you read these words..." with the last two words underlined. After that quote is a line of words that which are underlined. The underlined words somehow encourage readers to click on them to see what is hidden. One becomes beyond obsessed in the urge to know what is hidden beneath these underlined words that once one does click on it, it is like entering a whole new world. For example, a reader clicks on "these words" and finds a short poem describing a day in Washington, D.C. . However, that is not all to it. The mysterious red and blue lines add something more to this poem. These red and blue lines describe other days the person who wrote these poems have had. From clicking on the blue lines, the hyperlink takes the readers to a poem that describes a wonderful experience. However, from the red line hyperlinks, readers are able to be informed of the not so wonderful moments of the author. This is where the author's aim lies. The author's aim being to tell the world of her greatest moments in life along with the tragic moments and uses hypertext fiction as an avenue to take readers down the road of experience. In laments terms, this hypertext fiction in a way is like a diary and a story all wrapped in one. As discussed before the hyperlinks take readers to different moments in the author's life where a sense is given. The sense that the author has dealt with the loss of love. For example, in one of the red hyperlinks says, "You were engaged to my boyfriend's cousins, but are no longer?". Each time, another hyperlink is click, it is like being given more information about this loss of love along with given permission to snoop in on someone's personal life. With research, it turns out that numerous hypertext fictions often resemble a sort of un-private diary to show expression of constant daily struggles.

Unlike a story that has typically one distinct setting, this hypertext fiction has various ones. Each time, a new hyperlink is clicked within a poem, the reader is transported to a whole new setting. This is a rather unique experience and keeps the reader on edge about where will the story go next. Although the settings may be consistently changing, it is much like traditional reading experience. In this piece, the character is never changing and readers are able to easily understand what the character is going through. l0ve0ne is a delightful hypertext fiction work that draws readers in to enjoy a different literature experience.

## Twelve Blue - Madison Paige Warren

Hyper text fiction can provide a sort of puzzle which most forms of fiction can't because most forms of fiction are set and unchanging. In the hyper text fiction story "Twelve Blue" by Michael Joyce, the reader is given eight threads to click on. Each thread is a different character with a different story but all of the threads connect and intermingle. The characters presented in this reading are Javier, Lee, Beth, Samantha, Javier's wife, Aurelie, Eleonor, Ed Stanko, and Delores. each of these character have their own perspective presented in the story. The characters' perspectives interlock which is what pieces the whole story together. Joyce uses the format of hypertext to create a sort of puzzle or map for the reader. The story itself feels like winding paths that change and could literally take hours to go through.

    The hyper text is a puzzle or a teaser by urging the reader to move forwards, in a more chronological or linear fashion while the story is not chronological or in a straight pattern at all. There's not one main character; there are several. Hyper text can be an awkward experience. For readers who don't like technology, they can be turned off at first by the idea of hypertext. Hypertext can engage the reader in a way traditional forms can't because it is all interactive; the reader has to chose a certain step or path to go forward in the story. The stories can be multiple perspectives and provide a lot of interaction since the reader has to make choices to move forward. Hypertext fiction is similar to reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula", in the sense that the reading experience is confusing at first and the reader has to adapt. The perspectives are changing a lot, and the perspectives overlap. There's not really a sense of closure since the stories jump around and there's no set parts like most fiction has. Reading hypertext fiction is an experience that is unusual,but is still an experience none the less.

## Reference

1. ↑ Hypertext Fiction Introduction
2. ↑ https://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html#sec2
3. ↑ http://www.ukessays.com/essays/film-studies/the-evolution-and-future-of-hypertext-fiction-film-studies-essay.php
4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/09/27/specials/coover-hyperfiction.html
5. ↑ http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/pmaf/hypertext/ihsn/i\_have\_said\_nothing.html
6. ↑ http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/q12.html
7. ↑ http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/EndOfBooks.html
8. ↑ http://mural.uv.es/lele/nar/ihss.html#5[1]
9. ↑ http://www.yorku.ca/caitlin/waves/kissing2.htm
10. ↑ http://www.eastgate.com/malloy/love1.html
11. ↑ http://www.eastgate.com/malloy/love79.html
12. ↑ http://www.academia.edu/5558341/Hypertext\_Fiction\_The\_Future\_of\_Narrative