Introduction
At Nightfall, the Goldfish by Melody Mou is a hypertext fictional story (Lamb, 2011) accessible via internet browsers. Using hyperlinks, the non-linear story contains short points of view about five interrelated characters whose connection to each other can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Mou is a new media artist who has created a story that uses a combination of narrative techniques which are maze like, circular and leap in perspective (Mou, 2021).
Criteria 1: Is the story well told?
This non-linear narrative can be experienced in order of the reader’s choosing and areas of interest and genuine curiosity about life. Each section is short and pertinent to the story enabling the reader to comprehend concepts within the context of the story’s themes and symbols of life and death that touch on the idea of reincarnation. The depth of meaning attributed to the story telling is left to the reader and the depth of their interpretations. The ability to create meaning that shows the human experience is a key aspect to determining a narrative’s quality (Walsh, 2013).
Criteria 2: Are the language and illustrations appropriate for the intended audience?
The intended audience is the adult reader who is seeking an experience in the journey of life where they can determine the order in which they read the story dependent on their interests and direction the story is taking. As a piece of digital literature, the language used is clearly aimed at an adult audience able to see beyond the surface and understand the deeper themes and meanings it holds.
While the text has no illustrations, the background of the text is a plugin that simulates the soothing effects of water and is reflective of the organic nature of life. As the curser moves across the screen it creates ripples in the water like the high and lows of ones lifelong journey. The arrangement of the character hyperlinks creates a circular image using words from each chapter. Words from the central character of Goldfish spread out like a cross visually connecting all parts of the circle together.
Language is used creatively and each individual chapter is set out more like poetry than a traditional narrative. Appropriate to the audience, it plays with language in a way that requires interpretation from the reader as well as giving the reader access to the inner lives of the characters, which Susan Conley in her TEDx talk (2012) deems as being a powerful element to any story.
Criteria 3: Do the digital aspects of the text enhance the story?
At Nightfall, the Goldfish utilises a combination of text placement, hyperlinks and a plugin to create an atmospheric text. There are a number of interactive elements that add to the ambience but that don’t change the outcome of the story. The water like plugin that creates ripples as the curser moves across the screen is enchanting and does not distract from reading the passages of text.
The use of hyperlinks allows the reader to choose the order in which they read the characters’ points of view. After clicking on a character the reader is offered no navigation options until they have revealed all of the sentences for that point of view by scrolling across the scattered words on the screen. Only then is the option to continue provided. The limited amount of hyperlinks helps the reader stay engaged in an immersive experience (James & De Kock, 2013).
Dobler (2013) suggests that the digital elements should add to the reader’s understanding of the text and that is true with At Nightfall, the Goldfish. The digital elements add to the atmosphere and clearly show the connections between each character and their point of view. The arrangement of text and the visual elements (while not images) add another layer of meaning to the text and are a part of the culture of digital literature (Rajathi & Kalamani, 2020).
The recent publication date of this text speaks to the ever evolving trend of finding new and innovative ways for people to express themselves at a deeper and more relevant way. A digital medium provides another platform for artists and authors to showcase and promote their work in new ways to a larger audience (Rajathi & Kalamani, 2020).
Conclusion
At Nightfall, the Goldfish is a unique non-linear narrative that uses its digital elements to create a thoughtful narrative experience (McGeehan et al., 2018) for the adult reader. Its key strengths are the way the author connects each character both visually and within the narrative as well as the ambience of life afforded by its watery, rippled background. The text, while possible to read in a printed physical form would lose much of its meaning and clear interconnectedness that makes it such an engaging experience.
References
Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.
James, R. & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg Goliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’ e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2013.783394
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
McGeehan, C., Chambers, S. & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70.
Mou, M. (2021). At Nightfall, the Goldfish. https://melodyneedsmoney.github.io/AtNightfalltheGoldfish/Intro
Rajathi, R. & Kalamani, S. (2020). Digital literature: A literary trend of the twenty first century. International Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR), 8(11), 725-728. http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/12062
TEDx Talks. (2012, June 29). The power of story: Susan Conley at TEDxDirigo [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkqb6uDRNQs
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Primary English Teaching Association PEETA.