Question: What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of this form as compared to traditional modes of publication? What bookish qualities do hypertexts share with traditional publications?
Shelly Jackson’s My Body – a Wunderkammer is an example of electronic literature that uses hypertext to link pieces of the story in a non-linear trajectory. It combines image, text and sound which is an interesting aspect of how hypertext can integrate mixed media into storytelling. Integrating mixed media into narrative can also include interactive elements such as augmented reality as many contemporary web comic writers have exemplified in their work. I found a directory of interactive webcomics that are available for purchase via this website. My Body begins with a title page that leads to an illustration of a body which presents the reader with a variety of options of where to enter the story relating to different parts of the body. The reader continues the story by clicking on hyperlinked text/image of their choice. The experience of this narrative is free-flowing, non-linear and weaves in and out of different intersecting points of the story. This reinvents traditional story-telling which contains a linear structure. This means that hypertext fiction presents numerous paths to a narrative. There is no set beginning, middle or end. Although this affords the reader a certain degree of control and autonomy over the story, it can also feel jumbled and disorienting.
Other advantages of this format include the accessibility and low cost of a web-based story. Electronic literature also means that multiple readers can access the story at the same time. An electronic encyclopedia that uses hypertext can have the advantage of being less cumbersome to navigate as well as containing larger volumes of information that can include links to historical manuscripts and photographs. However, hypertext fiction may not appeal to many readers that may find it unclear and confusing to navigate.
There are similar qualities that hypertext books share with traditional forms. This includes a title/cover page, being made up of text and images to convey narrative and serving similar purposes to educate or engage the reader.
Bibliography
Jackson, S. (1997). My body – a wunderkrammer. Retrieved 22 June 2020 from http://www.altx.com/thebody/