Hypertext fiction
From Free net encyclopedia
Hypertext fiction is a genre of electronic literature found mostly online, characterized by the use of hypertext which provides a new context for non-linearity in "literature" and reader interaction. The reader typically chooses links to move from one node of text to the next, and in this fashion arranges a story from a deeper pool of potential stories. While short-lived as a genre, its spirit can be seen in interactive fiction.
The first hypertext fictions were published prior to the development of the World Wide Web, using software such as Storyspace and Hypercard. Michael Joyce's Afternoon, a story is generally considered the first hypertext fiction. This was followed by a series of other Storyspace hypertext fictions, including Stuart Moulthrop's Victory Garden, Shelley Jackson's Patchwork Girl and Deena Larsen's Marble Springs.
Douglas Cooper's Delirium (1994) was the first novel serialized on the web; it permitted navigation between four parallel story strands. Some other web examples of hypertext fiction include Spunker Interactive Fiction (defunct since 2001), Sunshine 69, The Unknown, The Company Therapist, and These Waves of Girls. Many more can be found in The Electronic Literature Directory maintained by the Electronic Literature Organization.
The term can also be used to describe traditionally-published books in which a non-linear and interactive narrative is achieved through internal references. Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire (1962) and Julio Cortázar's Rayuela (1963; translated as Hopscotch) are early examples (predating the word hypertext), while a common pop-culture example is the "Choose Your Own Adventure" format of young adult fiction.
See also
- Jay David Bolter
- J.Yellowlees Douglas
- N. Katherine Hayles
- Hypertext poetry
- Shelley Jackson
- Michael Joyce
- George Landow
- Lev Manovich
- Stuart Moulthrop
- Ted Nelson